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Schuh MG, Boldini D, Sieber SA. Synergizing Chemical Structures and Bioassay Descriptions for Enhanced Molecular Property Prediction in Drug Discovery. J Chem Inf Model 2024. [PMID: 38836773 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
The precise prediction of molecular properties can greatly accelerate the development of new drugs. However, in silico molecular property prediction approaches have been limited so far to assays for which large amounts of data are available. In this study, we develop a new computational approach leveraging both the textual description of the assay of interest and the chemical structure of target compounds. By combining these two sources of information via self-supervised learning, our tool can provide accurate predictions for assays where no measurements are available. Remarkably, our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on the FS-Mol benchmark for zero-shot prediction, outperforming a wide variety of deep learning approaches. Additionally, we demonstrate how our tool can be used for tailoring screening libraries for the assay of interest, showing promising performance in a retrospective case study on a high-throughput screening campaign. By accelerating the early identification of active molecules in drug discovery and development, this method has the potential to streamline the identification of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian G Schuh
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Davide Boldini
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Stephan A Sieber
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
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2
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Desvages M, Borgel D, Adam F, Tu G, Jaouen S, Reperant C, Denis CV, Desmaële D, Bianchini EP. A small-molecule hemostatic agent for the reversal of direct oral anticoagulant-induced bleeding. Res Pract Thromb Haemost 2024; 8:102426. [PMID: 38882463 PMCID: PMC11179090 DOI: 10.1016/j.rpth.2024.102426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The bleeding risk associated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) remains a major concern, and rapid reversal of anticoagulant activity may be required. Although specific and nonspecific hemostatic biotherapies are available, there is a need for small-molecule DOAC reversal agents that are simple and cost-effective to produce, store, and administer. Objectives To identify and characterize a small molecule with procoagulant activity as a DOAC reversal agent. Methods We sought to identify a small procoagulant molecule by screening a chemical library with a plasma clotting assay. The selected molecule was assessed for its procoagulant properties and its ability to reverse the effects of the DOACs in a thrombin generation assay. Its activity as a DOAC reversal agent was also evaluated in a tail-clip bleeding assay in mice. Results The hemostatic molecule (HeMo) dose-dependently promoted thrombin generation in plasma, with dose values effective in producing half-maximum response ranging between 3 and 5 μM, depending on the thrombin generation assay parameter considered. HeMo also restored impaired thrombin generation in DOAC-spiked plasma and reversed DOAC activity in the mouse bleeding model. HeMo significantly reduced apixaban-induced bleeding from 709 to 65 μL (vs 43 μL in controls; P < .01) and dabigatran-induced bleeding from 989 to 155 μL (vs 126 μL in controls; P < .01). Conclusion HeMo is a small-molecule procoagulant that can counterbalance hemostatic disruption by a thrombin inhibitor (dabigatran) or factor Xa inhibitors (apixaban and rivaroxaban). The compound's effective clot formation and versatility make it a possible option for managing the inherent hemorrhagic risk during DOAC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilien Desvages
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
- Service d'Hématologie Biologique, Hôpital Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Delphine Borgel
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
- Service d'Hématologie Biologique, Hôpital Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Adam
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Ge Tu
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8612, Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Simon Jaouen
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Christelle Reperant
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Cécile V Denis
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Didier Desmaële
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8612, Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Elsa P Bianchini
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1176, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
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3
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Tan L, Hirte S, Palmacci V, Stork C, Kirchmair J. Tackling assay interference associated with small molecules. Nat Rev Chem 2024; 8:319-339. [PMID: 38622244 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-024-00593-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Biochemical and cell-based assays are essential to discovering and optimizing efficacious and safe drugs, agrochemicals and cosmetics. However, false assay readouts stemming from colloidal aggregation, chemical reactivity, chelation, light signal attenuation and emission, membrane disruption, and other interference mechanisms remain a considerable challenge in screening synthetic compounds and natural products. To address assay interference, a range of powerful experimental approaches are available and in silico methods are now gaining traction. This Review begins with an overview of the scope and limitations of experimental approaches for tackling assay interference. It then focuses on theoretical methods, discusses strategies for their integration with experimental approaches, and provides recommendations for best practices. The Review closes with a summary of the critical facts and an outlook on potential future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Tan
- Drug Discovery Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steffen Hirte
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences (PhaNuSpo), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vincenzo Palmacci
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences (PhaNuSpo), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Conrad Stork
- Department of Informatics, Center for Bioinformatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- BASF SE, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| | - Johannes Kirchmair
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Informatics in the Biosciences, Department for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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4
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Boldini D, Friedrich L, Kuhn D, Sieber SA. Machine Learning Assisted Hit Prioritization for High Throughput Screening in Drug Discovery. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2024; 10:823-832. [PMID: 38680560 PMCID: PMC11046457 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c01517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Efficient prioritization of bioactive compounds from high throughput screening campaigns is a fundamental challenge for accelerating drug development efforts. In this study, we present the first data-driven approach to simultaneously detect assay interferents and prioritize true bioactive compounds. By analyzing the learning dynamics during training of a gradient boosting model on noisy high throughput screening data using a novel formulation of sample influence, we are able to distinguish between compounds exhibiting the desired biological response and those producing assay artifacts. Therefore, our method enables false positive and true positive detection without relying on prior screens or assay interference mechanisms, making it applicable to any high throughput screening campaign. We demonstrate that our approach consistently excludes assay interferents with different mechanisms and prioritizes biologically relevant compounds more efficiently than all tested baselines, including a retrospective case study simulating its use in a real drug discovery campaign. Finally, our tool is extremely computationally efficient, requiring less than 30 s per assay on low-resource hardware. As such, our findings show that our method is an ideal addition to existing false positive detection tools and can be used to guide further pharmacological optimization after high throughput screening campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Boldini
- TUM
School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional
Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University
of Munich, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Lukas Friedrich
- The
Healthcare business of Merck KGaA, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Daniel Kuhn
- The
Healthcare business of Merck KGaA, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Stephan A. Sieber
- TUM
School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional
Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University
of Munich, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
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5
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Gómez-García A, Jiménez DAA, Zamora WJ, Barazorda-Ccahuana HL, Chávez-Fumagalli MÁ, Valli M, Andricopulo AD, Bolzani VDS, Olmedo DA, Solís PN, Núñez MJ, Rodríguez Pérez JR, Valencia Sánchez HA, Cortés Hernández HF, Medina-Franco JL. Navigating the Chemical Space and Chemical Multiverse of a Unified Latin American Natural Product Database: LANaPDB. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1388. [PMID: 37895859 PMCID: PMC10609821 DOI: 10.3390/ph16101388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of databases of natural products (NPs) has increased substantially. Latin America is extraordinarily rich in biodiversity, enabling the identification of novel NPs, which has encouraged both the development of databases and the implementation of those that are being created or are under development. In a collective effort from several Latin American countries, herein we introduce the first version of the Latin American Natural Products Database (LANaPDB), a public compound collection that gathers the chemical information of NPs contained in diverse databases from this geographical region. The current version of LANaPDB unifies the information from six countries and contains 12,959 chemical structures. The structural classification showed that the most abundant compounds are the terpenoids (63.2%), phenylpropanoids (18%) and alkaloids (11.8%). From the analysis of the distribution of properties of pharmaceutical interest, it was observed that many LANaPDB compounds satisfy some drug-like rules of thumb for physicochemical properties. The concept of the chemical multiverse was employed to generate multiple chemical spaces from two different fingerprints and two dimensionality reduction techniques. Comparing LANaPDB with FDA-approved drugs and the major open-access repository of NPs, COCONUT, it was concluded that the chemical space covered by LANaPDB completely overlaps with COCONUT and, in some regions, with FDA-approved drugs. LANaPDB will be updated, adding more compounds from each database, plus the addition of databases from other Latin American countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gómez-García
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Avenida Universidad 3000, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Daniel A. Acuña Jiménez
- CBio3 Laboratory, School of Chemistry, University of Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (D.A.A.J.); (W.J.Z.)
| | - William J. Zamora
- CBio3 Laboratory, School of Chemistry, University of Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (D.A.A.J.); (W.J.Z.)
- Laboratory of Computational Toxicology and Artificial Intelligence (LaToxCIA), Biological Testing Laboratory (LEBi), University of Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
- Advanced Computing Lab (CNCA), National High Technology Center (CeNAT), Pavas, San José 1174-1200, Costa Rica
| | - Haruna L. Barazorda-Ccahuana
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa Maria, Arequipa 04000, Peru; (H.L.B.-C.); (M.Á.C.-F.)
| | - Miguel Á. Chávez-Fumagalli
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa Maria, Arequipa 04000, Peru; (H.L.B.-C.); (M.Á.C.-F.)
| | - Marilia Valli
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Computational Chemistry (LQMC), Centre for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery (CIBFar), São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC), University of São Paulo (USP), Av. João Dagnone, 1100, São Carlos 13563-120, SP, Brazil; (M.V.); (A.D.A.)
| | - Adriano D. Andricopulo
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Computational Chemistry (LQMC), Centre for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery (CIBFar), São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC), University of São Paulo (USP), Av. João Dagnone, 1100, São Carlos 13563-120, SP, Brazil; (M.V.); (A.D.A.)
| | - Vanderlan da S. Bolzani
- Nuclei of Bioassays, Biosynthesis and Ecophysiology of Natural Products (NuBBE), Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Prof. Francisco Degni, 55, Araraquara 14800-900, SP, Brazil;
| | - Dionisio A. Olmedo
- Center for Pharmacognostic Research on Panamanian Flora (CIFLORPAN), College of Pharmacy, University of Panama, Av. Manuel E. Batista and Jose De Fabrega, Panama City 3366, Panama; (D.A.O.); (P.N.S.)
| | - Pablo N. Solís
- Center for Pharmacognostic Research on Panamanian Flora (CIFLORPAN), College of Pharmacy, University of Panama, Av. Manuel E. Batista and Jose De Fabrega, Panama City 3366, Panama; (D.A.O.); (P.N.S.)
| | - Marvin J. Núñez
- Natural Product Research Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of El Salvador, Final Ave. Mártires Estudiantes del 30 de Julio, San Salvador 01101, El Salvador;
| | - Johny R. Rodríguez Pérez
- GIFES Research Group, School of Chemistry Technology, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira 660003, Colombia; (J.R.R.P.); (H.A.V.S.); (H.F.C.H.)
- GIEPRONAL Research Group, School of Basic Sciences, Technology and Engineering, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, Dosquebradas 661001, Colombia
| | - Hoover A. Valencia Sánchez
- GIFES Research Group, School of Chemistry Technology, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira 660003, Colombia; (J.R.R.P.); (H.A.V.S.); (H.F.C.H.)
| | - Héctor F. Cortés Hernández
- GIFES Research Group, School of Chemistry Technology, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira 660003, Colombia; (J.R.R.P.); (H.A.V.S.); (H.F.C.H.)
| | - José L. Medina-Franco
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Avenida Universidad 3000, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
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Progress and Impact of Latin American Natural Product Databases. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12091202. [PMID: 36139041 PMCID: PMC9496143 DOI: 10.3390/biom12091202] [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: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural products (NPs) are a rich source of structurally novel molecules, and the chemical space they encompass is far from being fully explored. Over history, NPs have represented a significant source of bioactive molecules and have served as a source of inspiration for developing many drugs on the market. On the other hand, computer-aided drug design (CADD) has contributed to drug discovery research, mitigating costs and time. In this sense, compound databases represent a fundamental element of CADD. This work reviews the progress toward developing compound databases of natural origin, and it surveys computational methods, emphasizing chemoinformatic approaches to profile natural product databases. Furthermore, it reviews the present state of the art in developing Latin American NP databases and their practical applications to the drug discovery area.
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7
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Romanelli MN, Manetti D, Braconi L, Dei S, Gabellini A, Teodori E. The piperazine scaffold for novel drug discovery efforts: the evidence to date. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2022; 17:969-984. [PMID: 35848922 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2022.2103535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION . Piperazine is a structural element present in drugs belonging to various chemical classes and used for numerous different therapeutic applications; it has been considered a privileged scaffold for drug design. AREAS COVERED The authors have searched examples of piperazine-containing compounds among drugs recently approved by the FDA, and in some research fields (nicotinic receptor modulators, compounds acting against cancer and bacterial multi-drug resistance), looking in particular to the design behind the insertion of this moiety. EXPERT OPINION Piperazine is widely used due to its peculiar characteristics, such as solubility, basicity, chemical reactivity, and conformational properties. This moiety has represented an important tool to modulate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Novella Romanelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child's Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Dina Manetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child's Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Laura Braconi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child's Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Silvia Dei
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child's Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Alessio Gabellini
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child's Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Teodori
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child's Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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Dantas RF, Torres-Santos EC, Silva Jr FP. Past and future of trypanosomatids high-throughput phenotypic screening. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2022; 117:e210402. [PMID: 35293482 PMCID: PMC8920514 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210402] [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: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites affect millions of people mainly living in developing countries. Novel drugs are highly needed since there are no vaccines and available treatment has several limitations, such as resistance, low efficacy, and high toxicity. The drug discovery process is often analogous to finding a needle in the haystack. In the last decades a so-called rational drug design paradigm, heavily dependent on computational approaches, has promised to deliver new drugs in a more cost-effective way. Paradoxically however, the mainstay of these computational methods is data-driven, meaning they need activity data for new compounds to be generated and available in databases. Therefore, high-throughput screening (HTS) of compounds still is a much-needed exercise in drug discovery to fuel other rational approaches. In trypanosomatids, due to the scarcity of validated molecular targets and biological complexity of these parasites, phenotypic screening has become an essential tool for the discovery of new bioactive compounds. In this article we discuss the perspectives of phenotypic HTS for trypanosomatid drug discovery with emphasis on the role of image-based, high-content methods. We also propose an ideal cascade of assays for the identification of new drug candidates for clinical development using leishmaniasis as an example.
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9
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Funk JL, Schneider C. Perspective on Improving the Relevance, Rigor, and Reproducibility of Botanical Clinical Trials: Lessons Learned From Turmeric Trials. Front Nutr 2021; 8:782912. [PMID: 34926556 PMCID: PMC8678600 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.782912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-derived compounds, without doubt, can have significant medicinal effects since many notable drugs in use today, such as morphine or taxol, were first isolated from botanical sources. When an isolated and purified phytochemical is developed as a pharmaceutical, the uniformity and appropriate use of the product are well defined. Less clear are the benefits and best use of plant-based dietary supplements or other formulations since these products, unlike traditional drugs, are chemically complex and variable in composition, even if derived from a single plant source. This perspective will summarize key points-including the premise of ethnobotanical and preclinical evidence, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and safety-inherent and unique to the study of botanical dietary supplements to be considered when planning or evaluating botanical clinical trials. Market forces and regulatory frameworks also affect clinical trial design since in the United States, for example, botanical dietary supplements cannot be marketed for disease treatment and submission of information on safety or efficacy is not required. Specific challenges are thus readily apparent both for consumers comparing available products for purchase, as well as for commercially sponsored vs. independent researchers planning clinical trials to evaluate medicinal effects of botanicals. Turmeric dietary supplements, a top selling botanical in the United States and focus of over 400 clinical trials to date, will be used throughout to illustrate both the promise and pitfalls associated with the clinical evaluation of botanicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet L Funk
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Claus Schneider
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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Sultana T, Okla MK, Ahmed M, Akhtar N, Al-Hashimi A, Abdelgawad H, Haq IU. Withaferin A: From Ancient Remedy to Potential Drug Candidate. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26247696. [PMID: 34946778 PMCID: PMC8705790 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26247696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Withaferin A (WA) is a pivotal withanolide that has conquered a conspicuous place in research, owning to its multidimensional biological properties. It is an abundant constituent in Withania somnifera Dunal. (Ashwagandha, WS) that is one of the prehistoric pivotal remedies in Ayurveda. This article reviews the literature about the pharmacological profile of WA with special emphasis on its anticancer aspect. We reviewed research publications concerning WA through four databases and provided a descriptive analysis of literature without statistical or qualitative analysis. WA has been found as an effective remedy with multifaceted mechanisms and a broad spectrum of pharmacological profiles. It has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiherpetic, antifibrotic, antiplatelet, profibrinolytic, immunosuppressive, antipigmentation, antileishmanial, and healing potentials. Evidence for wide pharmacological actions of WA has been established by both in vivo and in vitro studies. Further, the scientific literature accentuates the role of WA harboring a variable therapeutic spectrum for integrative cancer chemoprevention and cure. WA is a modern drug from traditional medicine that is necessary to be advanced to clinical trials for advocating its utility as a commercial drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahira Sultana
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
| | - Mohammad K. Okla
- Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (M.K.O.); (A.A.-H.)
| | - Madiha Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
- Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (I.-u.-H.)
| | - Nosheen Akhtar
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 43600, Pakistan;
| | - Abdulrahman Al-Hashimi
- Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (M.K.O.); (A.A.-H.)
| | - Hamada Abdelgawad
- Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium;
| | - Ihsan-ul- Haq
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (I.-u.-H.)
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11
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Santana MVS, Silva-Jr FP. De novo design and bioactivity prediction of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors using recurrent neural network-based transfer learning. BMC Chem 2021; 15:8. [PMID: 33531083 PMCID: PMC7852053 DOI: 10.1186/s13065-021-00737-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) created a rush to discover drug candidates. Despite the efforts, so far no vaccine or drug has been approved for treatment. Artificial intelligence offers solutions that could accelerate the discovery and optimization of new antivirals, especially in the current scenario dominated by the scarcity of compounds active against SARS-CoV-2. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is an attractive target for drug discovery due to the absence in humans and the essential role in viral replication. In this work, we developed a deep learning platform for de novo design of putative inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). Our methodology consists of 3 main steps: (1) training and validation of general chemistry-based generative model; (2) fine-tuning of the generative model for the chemical space of SARS-CoV- Mpro inhibitors and (3) training of a classifier for bioactivity prediction using transfer learning. The fine-tuned chemical model generated > 90% valid, diverse and novel (not present on the training set) structures. The generated molecules showed a good overlap with Mpro chemical space, displaying similar physicochemical properties and chemical structures. In addition, novel scaffolds were also generated, showing the potential to explore new chemical series. The classification model outperformed the baseline area under the precision-recall curve, showing it can be used for prediction. In addition, the model also outperformed the freely available model Chemprop on an external test set of fragments screened against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, showing its potential to identify putative antivirals to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, among the top-20 predicted hits, we identified nine hits via molecular docking displaying binding poses and interactions similar to experimentally validated inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos V S Santana
- LaBECFar-Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-900, Brazil
| | - Floriano P Silva-Jr
- LaBECFar-Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-900, Brazil.
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12
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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.
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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
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13
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Goodwin S, Shahtahmassebi G, Hanley QS. Statistical models for identifying frequent hitters in high throughput screening. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17200. [PMID: 33057035 PMCID: PMC7560657 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74139-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
High throughput screening (HTS) interrogates compound libraries to find those that are “active” in an assay. To better understand compound behavior in HTS, we assessed an existing binomial survivor function (BSF) model of “frequent hitters” using 872 publicly available HTS data sets. We found large numbers of “infrequent hitters” using this model leading us to reject the BSF for identifying “frequent hitters.” As alternatives, we investigated generalized logistic, gamma, and negative binomial distributions as models for compound behavior. The gamma model reduced the proportion of both frequent and infrequent hitters relative to the BSF. Within this data set, conclusions about individual compound behavior were limited by the number of times individual compounds were tested (1–1613 times) and disproportionate testing of some compounds. Specifically, most tests (78%) were on a 309,847-compound subset (17.6% of compounds) each tested ≥ 300 times. We concluded that the disproportionate retesting of some compounds represents compound repurposing at scale rather than drug discovery. The approach to drug discovery represented by these 872 data sets characterizes the assays well by challenging them with many compounds while each compound is characterized poorly with a single assay. Aggregating the testing information from each compound across the multiple screens yielded a continuum with no clear boundary between normal and frequent hitting compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Goodwin
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Golnaz Shahtahmassebi
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Quentin S Hanley
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
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14
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Puertas-Martín S, Banegas-Luna AJ, Paredes-Ramos M, Redondo JL, Ortigosa PM, Brovarets' OO, Pérez-Sánchez H. Is high performance computing a requirement for novel drug discovery and how will this impact academic efforts? Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 15:981-986. [PMID: 32345062 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1758664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Savíns Puertas-Martín
- Supercomputing - Algorithms Research Group (SAL), University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence , Almería, Spain
| | - Antonio J Banegas-Luna
- Bioinformatics and High Performance Computing Research Group (BIO-HPC), Computer Engineering Department, Universidad Católica San Antonio De Murcia (UCAM) , Murcia, Spain
| | - María Paredes-Ramos
- METMED Research Group, Physical Chemistry Department, Universidade Da Coruña (UDC) , Coruña, Spain
| | - Juana L Redondo
- Supercomputing - Algorithms Research Group (SAL), University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence , Almería, Spain
| | - Pilar M Ortigosa
- Supercomputing - Algorithms Research Group (SAL), University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence , Almería, Spain
| | - Ol'ha O Brovarets'
- Department of Molecular and Quantum Biophysics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine , Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Horacio Pérez-Sánchez
- Bioinformatics and High Performance Computing Research Group (BIO-HPC), Computer Engineering Department, Universidad Católica San Antonio De Murcia (UCAM) , Murcia, Spain
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15
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Newman DJ, Cragg GM. Natural Products as Sources of New Drugs over the Nearly Four Decades from 01/1981 to 09/2019. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2020; 83:770-803. [PMID: 32162523 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2686] [Impact Index Per Article: 671.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
This review is an updated and expanded version of the five prior reviews that were published in this journal in 1997, 2003, 2007, 2012, and 2016. For all approved therapeutic agents, the time frame has been extended to cover the almost 39 years from the first of January 1981 to the 30th of September 2019 for all diseases worldwide and from ∼1946 (earliest so far identified) to the 30th of September 2019 for all approved antitumor drugs worldwide. As in earlier reviews, only the first approval of any drug is counted, irrespective of how many "biosimilars" or added approvals were subsequently identified. As in the 2012 and 2016 reviews, we have continued to utilize our secondary subdivision of a "natural product mimic", or "NM", to join the original primary divisions, and the designation "natural product botanical", or "NB", to cover those botanical "defined mixtures" now recognized as drug entities by the FDA (and similar organizations). From the data presented in this review, the utilization of natural products and/or synthetic variations using their novel structures, in order to discover and develop the final drug entity, is still alive and well. For example, in the area of cancer, over the time frame from 1946 to 1980, of the 75 small molecules, 40, or 53.3%, are N or ND. In the 1981 to date time frame the equivalent figures for the N* compounds of the 185 small molecules are 62, or 33.5%, though to these can be added the 58 S* and S*/NMs, bringing the figure to 64.9%. In other areas, the influence of natural product structures is quite marked with, as expected from prior information, the anti-infective area being dependent on natural products and their structures, though as can be seen in the review there are still disease areas (shown in Table 2) for which there are no drugs derived from natural products. Although combinatorial chemistry techniques have succeeded as methods of optimizing structures and have been used very successfully in the optimization of many recently approved agents, we are still able to identify only two de novo combinatorial compounds (one of which is a little speculative) approved as drugs in this 39-year time frame, though there is also one drug that was developed using the "fragment-binding methodology" and approved in 2012. We have also added a discussion of candidate drug entities currently in clinical trials as "warheads" and some very interesting preliminary reports on sources of novel antibiotics from Nature due to the absolute requirement for new agents to combat plasmid-borne resistance genes now in the general populace. We continue to draw the attention of readers to the recognition that a significant number of natural product drugs/leads are actually produced by microbes and/or microbial interactions with the "host from whence it was isolated"; thus we consider that this area of natural product research should be expanded significantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Newman
- NIH Special Volunteer, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087, United States
| | - Gordon M Cragg
- NIH Special Volunteer, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877, United States
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16
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Data structures for computational compound promiscuity analysis and exemplary applications to inhibitors of the human kinome. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2019; 34:1-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s10822-019-00266-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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