Structure-based drug design with geometric deep learning
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Updated: Aug 8, 2025

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Published on: February 23, 2024
Clemens Isert1, Kenneth Atz1, Gisbert Schneider2
1ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Structure-based drug design uses three-dimensional geometric information of macromolecules, such as proteins or nucleic acids, to identify suitable ligands. Geometric deep learning, an emerging concept of neural-network-based machine learning, has been applied to macromolecular structures. This review provides an overview of the recent applications of geometric deep learning in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry, highlighting its potential for structure-based drug discovery and design. Emphasis is placed on molecular property prediction, ligand binding site and pose prediction, and structure-based de novo molecular design. The current challenges and opportunities are highlighted, and a forecast of the future of geometric deep learning for drug discovery is presented.
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