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Updated: May 27, 2026

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2025
Toward in silico structure-based ADMET prediction in drug discovery
Gautier Moroy1, Virginie Y Martiny, Philippe Vayer
1Inserm UMR-S 973, Molécules Thérapeutiques In Silico, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 35 Rue Helene Brion, 75013 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methods and related approaches have been used to investigate the molecular features that influence the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) of drugs. As the three-dimensional structures of several major ADMET proteins become available, structure-based (docking-scoring) computations can be carried out to complement or to go beyond QSAR studies. Applying docking-scoring methods to ADMET proteins is a challenging process because they usually have a large and flexible binding cavity; however, promising results relating to metabolizing enzymes have been reported. After reviewing current trends in the field we applied structure-based methods in the context of receptor flexibility in a case study involving the phase II metabolizing sulfotransferases. Overall, the explored concepts and results suggested that structure-based ADMET profiling will probably join the mainstream during the coming years.
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