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Updated: May 1, 2026

Incorporating Target Protein Structure Flexibility and Dynamics in Computational Drug Discovery Using Ensemble-Based Docking Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2025
Accelerating Virtual High-Throughput Ligand Docking: current technology and case study on a petascale supercomputer.
Sally R Ellingson1, Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy2, Milton Brown2
1Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Center for Molecular Biophysics, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
This study presents a high-throughput virtual screening method using a Message Passing Interface (MPI) version of Autodock4 on a supercomputer. The research details scripts for efficient compound screening and analysis, optimizing drug discovery processes.
Area of Science:
- Computational chemistry
- Bioinformatics
- Supercomputing
Background:
- High-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) is crucial for identifying potential drug candidates.
- Efficient computational methods are needed to screen large compound libraries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the current state of high-throughput virtual screening.
- To present a case study of a large-scale virtual screening using a parallelized Autodock4.
- To provide resources for replicating the screening process.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a task-parallel Message Passing Interface (MPI) version of Autodock4.
- Executed a virtual screen of one million compounds on the Jaguar Cray XK6 Supercomputer.
- Developed custom scripts for predocking file preparation and postdocking analysis.
Main Results:
- Successfully performed a large-scale virtual screening of one million compounds.
- Demonstrated increased efficiency in predocking and postdocking stages through developed scripts.
- Made the MPI version of Autodock4, scripts, and tutorials publicly available.
Conclusions:
- The MPI version of Autodock4 is effective for large-scale virtual screening on supercomputers.
- Optimized scripting enhances the efficiency of the virtual screening workflow.
- Open access to code and tutorials facilitates broader adoption and research in drug discovery.
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