High-throughput ensemble-based docking and elucidation of 3-dimensional structural conformations of flexible biomolecular targets

Abstract

Methods for generating putative ligand structures capable of altering the activity of a target effector molecule comprise: constructing an elongated monomer of the target effector molecule; constructing a three dimensional model of the target effector molecule under the influence of elongation using empirical three dimensional data, the model including a conformation revealing the binding portion of the target effector molecule to a putative ligand structure; generating a plurality of computational models of the target effector molecule; filtering the plurality of computational models against the three dimensional model created experimentally using a reiterative simulation analysis algorithm operable to identify and select a plurality of computational models having a root-mean square deviation below a predetermined threshold when compared to the three dimensional model of the target effector molecule; screening a plurality of ligands to rank the binding strength of each ligand with the plurality of computational models selected and selecting one or more ligands based on the ranking.