ComplexQA: a deep graph learning approach for protein complex structure assessment

TopoQA: a topological deep learning-based approach for protein complex structure interface quality assessment

Even with the significant advances of AlphaFold-Multimer (AF-Multimer) and AlphaFold3 (AF3) in protein complex structure prediction, their accuracy is still not comparable with monomer structure prediction. Efficient and effective quality assessment (QA) or estimation of model accuracy models that can evaluate the quality of the predicted protein-complexes without knowing their native structures are of key importance for protein structure generation and model selection. In this paper, we leverage persistent homology (PH) to capture the atomic-level topological information around residues and design a topological deep learning-based QA method, TopoQA, to assess the accuracy of protein complex interfaces. We integrate PH from topological data analysis into graph neural networks (GNNs) to characterize complex higher-order structures that GNNs might overlook, enhancing the learning of the relationship between the topological structure of complex interfaces and quality scores. Our TopoQA model is extensively validated based on the two most-widely used benchmark datasets, Docking Benchmark5.5 AF2 (DBM55-AF2) and Heterodimer-AF2 (HAF2), along with our newly constructed ABAG-AF3 dataset to facilitate comparisons with AF3. For all three datasets, TopoQA outperforms AF-Multimer-based AF2Rank and shows an advantage over AF3 in nearly half of the targets. In particular, in the DBM55-AF2 dataset, a ranking loss of 73.6% lower than AF-Multimer-based AF2Rank is obtained. Further, other than AF-Multimer and AF3, we have also extensively compared with nearly-all the state-of-the-art models (as far as we know), it has been found that our TopoQA can achieve the highest Top 10 Hit-rate on the DBM55-AF2 dataset and the lowest ranking loss on the HAF2 dataset. Ablation experiments show that our topological features significantly improve the model's performance. At the same time, our method also provides a new paradigm for protein structure representation learning.

Large language models facilitating modern molecular biology and novel drug development

The latest breakthroughs in information technology and biotechnology have catalyzed a revolutionary shift within the modern healthcare landscape, with notable impacts from artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL). Particularly noteworthy is the adept application of large language models (LLMs), which enable seamless and efficient communication between scientific researchers and AI systems. These models capitalize on neural network (NN) architectures that demonstrate proficiency in natural language processing, thereby enhancing interactions. This comprehensive review outlines the cutting-edge advancements in the application of LLMs within the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in drug development. It offers a detailed exploration of the core mechanisms that drive these models and zeroes in on the practical applications of several models that show great promise in this domain. Additionally, this review delves into the pivotal technical and ethical challenges that arise with the practical implementation of LLMs. There is an expectation that LLMs will assume a more pivotal role in the development of innovative drugs and will ultimately contribute to the accelerated development of revolutionary pharmaceuticals.

A Survey of Deep Learning Methods for Estimating the Accuracy of Protein Quaternary Structure Models

The quality prediction of quaternary structure models of a protein complex, in the absence of its true structure, is known as the Estimation of Model Accuracy (EMA). EMA is useful for ranking predicted protein complex structures and using them appropriately in biomedical research, such as protein-protein interaction studies, protein design, and drug discovery. With the advent of more accurate protein complex (multimer) prediction tools, such as AlphaFold2-Multimer and ESMFold, the estimation of the accuracy of protein complex structures has attracted increasing attention. Many deep learning methods have been developed to tackle this problem; however, there is a noticeable absence of a comprehensive overview of these methods to facilitate future development. Addressing this gap, we present a review of deep learning EMA methods for protein complex structures developed in the past several years, analyzing their methodologies, data and feature construction. We also provide a prospective summary of some potential new developments for further improving the accuracy of the EMA methods.

Machine Learning Empowering Drug Discovery: Applications, Opportunities and Challenges

Drug discovery plays a critical role in advancing human health by developing new medications and treatments to combat diseases. How to accelerate the pace and reduce the costs of new drug discovery has long been a key concern for the pharmaceutical industry. Fortunately, by leveraging advanced algorithms, computational power and biological big data, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, especially machine learning (ML), holds the promise of making the hunt for new drugs more efficient. Recently, the Transformer-based models that have achieved revolutionary breakthroughs in natural language processing have sparked a new era of their applications in drug discovery. Herein, we introduce the latest applications of ML in drug discovery, highlight the potential of advanced Transformer-based ML models, and discuss the future prospects and challenges in the field.