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Updated: May 14, 2026

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2025
Application of Monte Carlo-based receptor ensemble docking to virtual screening for GPCR ligands
Santiago Vilar1, Stefano Costanzi
1Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago the Compostela, Spain.
Abstract:
Receptor ensemble docking (RED) is an effective strategy to account for receptor flexibility in the course of a docking-based virtual screening campaign. Such an approach can be applied when multiple crystal structures of a receptor have been solved, but it can also be applied when only a single crystal structure is available. In this case, alternative structures can be generated from the latter by computational means and subsequently applied to RED. Here, we illustrate how such conformers can be generated by subjecting a crystal structure to Monte Carlo conformational searches. Through a controlled virtual screening experiment, we then show the applicability of such a strategy to the identification of ligands of the β(2) adrenergic receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor activated by epinephrine. Requiring the availability of one crystal structure only, this strategy is applicable to all systems for which multiple experimentally elucidated structures are not available.
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