MultiscaleDTA: a multiscale-based method with a self-attention mechanism for drug-target binding affinity prediction

Drug-Target Affinity Prediction Based on Topological Enhanced Graph Neural Networks

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have achieved remarkable success in drug-target affinity (DTA) analysis, reducing the cost of drug development. Unlike traditional one-dimensional (1D) sequence-based methods, GNNs leverage graph structures to capture richer protein and drug features, leading to improved DTA prediction performance. However, existing methods often neglect to incorporate valuable protein cavity information, a key aspect of protein physical chemistry. This study addresses this gap by proposing a novel topology-enhanced GNN for DTA prediction that integrates protein pocket data. Additionally, we optimize training and message-passing strategies to enhance the model's feature representation capabilities. Our model's effectiveness is validated on the Davis and KIBA data sets, demonstrating its ability to capture the intricate interplay between drugs and targets. The source code is publicly available on https://github.com/ZZDXgangwu/DTA.

MMPD-DTA: Integrating Multi-Modal Deep Learning with Pocket-Drug Graphs for Drug-Target Binding Affinity Prediction

Predicting drug-target binding affinity (DTA) is a crucial task in drug discovery research. Recent studies have demonstrated that pocket features and interactions between targets and drugs significantly improve the understanding of DTA. However, challenges remain, particularly in the detailed consideration of both global and local information and the further modeling of pocket features. In this paper, we propose a novel multimodal deep learning model named MMPD-DTA for predicting drug-target binding affinity to address these challenges. The MMPD-DTA model integrates graph and sequence modalities of targets, pockets, and drugs to capture both global and local target and drug information. The model introduces a novel pocket-drug graph (PD graph) that simultaneously models atomic interactions within the target, within the drug, and between the target and drug. We employ GraphSAGE for graph representation learning from the PD graph, complemented by sequence representation learning via transformers for the target sequence and graph representation learning via a graph isomorphism network for the drug molecular graph. These multimodal representations are then concatenated, and a multilayer perceptron generates the final binding affinity predictions. Experimental results on three real-world test sets demonstrate that the MMPD-DTA model outperforms baseline methods. Ablation studies further confirm the effectiveness of each module within the MMPD-DTA model. Our code is available at https://github.com/zhc-moushang/MMPD-DTA.

Advancing drug discovery with deep attention neural networks

In the dynamic field of drug discovery, deep attention neural networks are revolutionizing our approach to complex data. This review explores the attention mechanism and its extended architectures, including graph attention networks (GATs), transformers, bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT), generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) and bidirectional and auto-regressive transformers (BART). Delving into their core principles and multifaceted applications, we uncover their pivotal roles in catalyzing de novo drug design, predicting intricate molecular properties and deciphering elusive drug-target interactions. Despite challenges, these attention-based architectures hold unparalleled promise to drive transformative breakthroughs and accelerate progress in pharmaceutical research.

A prediction method of interaction based on Bilinear Attention Networks for designing polyphenol-protein complexes delivery systems

Polyphenol-protein complexes delivery systems are gaining attention for their potential health benefits and food industry development. However, creating an ideal delivery system requires extensive wet-lab experimentation. To address this, we collected 525 ligand-protein interaction data pairs and established an interaction prediction model using Bilinear Attention Networks. We utilized 10-fold cross validation to address potential overfitting issues in the model, resulting in showed higher average AUROC (0.8443), AUPRC (0.7872), and F1 (0.8164). The optimal threshold (0.3739) was selected for the model to be used for subsequent analysis. Based on the model prediction results and optimal threshold, by verifying experimental analysis, the interaction of paeonol with the following proteins was obtained, including bovine serum albumin (lgKa = 6.2759), bovine β-lactoglobulin (lgKa = 6.7479), egg ovalbumin (lgKa = 5.1806), zein (lgKa = 6.0122), bovine α-lactalbumin (lgKa = 3.9170), bovine lactoferrin (lgKa = 4.5380), the first four proteins are consistent with the predicted results of the model, with lgKa >5. The established model can accurately and rapidly predict the interaction of polyphenol-protein complexes. This study is the first to combine open ligand-protein interaction experiments with Deep Learning algorithms in the food industry, greatly improving research efficiency and providing a novel perspective for future complex delivery system construction.

A comprehensive review of the recent advances on predicting drug-target affinity based on deep learning

Accurate calculation of drug-target affinity (DTA) is crucial for various applications in the pharmaceutical industry, including drug screening, design, and repurposing. However, traditional machine learning methods for calculating DTA often lack accuracy, posing a significant challenge in accurately predicting DTA. Fortunately, deep learning has emerged as a promising approach in computational biology, leading to the development of various deep learning-based methods for DTA prediction. To support researchers in developing novel and highly precision methods, we have provided a comprehensive review of recent advances in predicting DTA using deep learning. We firstly conducted a statistical analysis of commonly used public datasets, providing essential information and introducing the used fields of these datasets. We further explored the common representations of sequences and structures of drugs and targets. These analyses served as the foundation for constructing DTA prediction methods based on deep learning. Next, we focused on explaining how deep learning models, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), Transformer, and Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), were effectively employed in specific DTA prediction methods. We highlighted the unique advantages and applications of these models in the context of DTA prediction. Finally, we conducted a performance analysis of multiple state-of-the-art methods for predicting DTA based on deep learning. The comprehensive review aimed to help researchers understand the shortcomings and advantages of existing methods, and further develop high-precision DTA prediction tool to promote the development of drug discovery.

Techniques and Strategies in Drug Design and Discovery

The process of drug discovery constitutes a highly intricate and formidable undertaking, encompassing the identification and advancement of novel therapeutic entities [...].

Attention is all you need: utilizing attention in AI-enabled drug discovery

Recently, attention mechanism and derived models have gained significant traction in drug development due to their outstanding performance and interpretability in handling complex data structures. This review offers an in-depth exploration of the principles underlying attention-based models and their advantages in drug discovery. We further elaborate on their applications in various aspects of drug development, from molecular screening and target binding to property prediction and molecule generation. Finally, we discuss the current challenges faced in the application of attention mechanisms and Artificial Intelligence technologies, including data quality, model interpretability and computational resource constraints, along with future directions for research. Given the accelerating pace of technological advancement, we believe that attention-based models will have an increasingly prominent role in future drug discovery. We anticipate that these models will usher in revolutionary breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical domain, significantly accelerating the pace of drug development.

Computational prediction of promotors in Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58 by using the machine learning technique

Promotors are those genomic regions on the upstream of genes, which are bound by RNA polymerase for starting gene transcription. Because it is the most critical element of gene expression, the recognition of promoters is crucial to understand the regulation of gene expression. This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based model to predict promotors in Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A. tumefaciens) strain C58. In the model, promotor sequences were encoded by three different kinds of feature descriptors, namely, accumulated nucleotide frequency, k-mer nucleotide composition, and binary encodings. The obtained features were optimized by using correlation and the mRMR-based algorithm. These optimized features were inputted into a random forest (RF) classifier to discriminate promotor sequences from non-promotor sequences in A. tumefaciens strain C58. The examination of 10-fold cross-validation showed that the proposed model could yield an overall accuracy of 0.837. This model will provide help for the study of promoters in A. tumefaciens C58 strain.