Similarity-based virtual screening using 2D fingerprints
Abstract
This paper summarizes recent work at the University of Sheffield on virtual screening methods that use 2D fingerprint measures of structural similarity. A detailed comparison of a large number of similarity coefficients demonstrates that the well-known Tanimoto coefficient remains the method of choice for the computation of fingerprint-based similarity, despite possessing some inherent biases related to the sizes of the molecules that are being sought. Group fusion involves combining the results of similarity searches based on multiple reference structures and a single similarity measure. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach to screening, and also describe an approximate form of group fusion, turbo similarity searching, that can be used when just a single reference structure is available.
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- Authors
- Willett, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Sheffield (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Willett, Peter
- ORCID
- Willett, Peter
- Venue
- Drug Discovery Today
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-12
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 23-24
- Pages
- 1046-1053
- ISSN
- 1359-6446 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1990451437
- Cited by
- 849
- References
- 81
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 55 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 3.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Drug Discovery Today (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Computational Drug Discovery Methods
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Synthesis and Characterization of Heterocyclic Compounds
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Chemical Synthesis and Analysis
- Keywords
- virtual screening, 2D fingerprints, structural similarity, similarity index, Tanimoto coefficient, group fusion, reference structure
- MeSH terms
- Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, United Kingdom, Humans, User-Computer Interface, Drug Design, Databases, Factual, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship
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