AMMOS: Automated Molecular Mechanics Optimization tool for in silico Screening

Background: Virtual or in silico ligand screening combined with other computational methods is one of the most promising methods to search for new lead compounds, thereby greatly assisting the drug discovery process. Despite considerable progresses made in virtual screening methodologies, available computer programs do not easily address problems such as: structural optimization of compounds in a screening library, receptor flexibility/induced-fit, and accurate prediction of protein-ligand interactions. It has been shown that structural optimization of chemical compounds and that post-docking optimization in multi-step structure-based virtual screening approaches help to further improve the overall efficiency of the methods. To address some of these points, we developed the program AMMOS for refining both, the 3D structures of the small molecules present in chemical libraries and the predicted receptor-ligand complexes through allowing partial to full atom flexibility through molecula...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: Tania Pencheva, David Lagorce, Ilza Pajeva, Bruno O. Villoutreix, Maria A. Miteva
• Keywords: BMCBI 2008, Structural Optimization, Virtual Screening, Virtual Screening Methodologies