Free energy methods for pharmaceutical drug discovery
Samuel C. Gill, Nathan M. Lim, Patrick B. Grinaway, Ariën S. Rustenburg, Josh Fass, Gregory A. Ross, John D. Chodera and David L. Mobley
Accurately predicting protein-ligand binding affinities and binding modes is a major goal in computational chemistry, but even the prediction of ligand binding modes in proteins poses major challenges. Here, we focus on solving the binding mode prediction problem for rigid fragments. [More…]
We have a new preprint up on our “Binding Modes of Ligands Using Enhanced Sampling” (BLUES) approach to sampling ligand binding modes. This is work with the Chodera lab, and applies the nonequilibrium candidate Monte Carlo technique to hop between different potential ligand binding modes, allowing us to compute the occupancy of ligand binding modes substantially more efficiently than with standard molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo. [More…]
Stefania Evoli, David L. Mobley, Rita Guzzi and Bruno Rizzuti
Human serum albumin possesses multiple binding sites and transports a wide range of ligands that include the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. A complete map of the binding sites of ibuprofen in albumin is difficult to obtain in traditional experiments, because of the structural adaptability of this protein in accommodating small ligands. In this work, we provide a set of predictions covering the geometry, affinity of binding and protonation state for the pharmaceutically most active form (S-isomer) of ibuprofen to albumin, by using absolute binding free energy calculations in combination with classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular docking. [More…]
Binding free energy calculations based on molecular simulations provide predicted affinities for biomolecular complexes. These calculations begin with a detailed description of a system, including its chemical composition and the interactions between its components. Simulations of the system are then used to compute thermodynamic information, such as binding affinities. Because of their promise for guiding molecular design, these calculations have recently begun to see widespread applications in early stage drug discovery. [More…]
Nathan M. Lim, Lingle Wang, Robert Abel, and David L. Mobley
Tremendous recent improvements in computer hardware, coupled with advances in sampling techniques and force fields, are now allowing protein–ligand binding free energy calculations to be routinely used to aid pharmaceutical drug discovery projects. However, despite these recent innovations, there are still needs for further improvement in sampling algorithms to more adequately sample protein motion relevant to protein–ligand binding. [More…]