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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Determination of Protein-ligand Interactions Using Differential Scanning Fluorimetry
Published on: September 13, 2014
Assessing protein-ligand interaction scoring functions with the CASF-2013 benchmark
Yan Li1, Minyi Su1, Zhihai Liu1
1State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
The Comparative Assessment of Scoring Functions (CASF) benchmark provides an objective evaluation of computational scoring functions for drug design. CASF-2013 offers a standardized method to assess scoring, ranking, docking, and screening powers of these essential tools.
Area of Science:
- Computational chemistry
- Structural biology
- Drug discovery
Background:
- Scoring functions are crucial for evaluating protein-ligand interactions in structure-based drug design.
- Numerous scoring functions exist, necessitating objective performance assessments for users and developers.
- The Comparative Assessment of Scoring Functions (CASF) benchmark was developed for reliable evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and detail the CASF-2013 benchmark for evaluating scoring functions.
- To provide a standardized, open-access solution for assessing scoring function performance.
- To lower technical barriers for users of the CASF benchmark.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a high-quality test set of 195 protein-ligand complexes.
- Evaluated 'scoring power', 'ranking power', 'docking power', and 'screening power'.
- Provided reference evaluation results for standard scoring functions in mainstream software.
Main Results:
- The CASF-2013 benchmark facilitates comprehensive performance evaluation.
- Reference results for popular scoring functions are included.
- The benchmark is widely adopted by the scoring function community.
Conclusions:
- CASF-2013 offers a robust and accessible platform for scoring function assessment.
- The protocol simplifies the evaluation process, making it user-friendly.
- Objective performance data aids in selecting and developing effective scoring functions for drug design.
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