Cited by 593Computational Drug Discovery MethodsMachine Learning in Materials ScienceProtein Degradation and Inhibitors

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 95 of the 95 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 89 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Exploiting machine learning for end-to-end drug discovery and development

Open access

Abstract

A variety of machine learning methods such as naive Bayesian, support vector machines and more recently deep neural networks are demonstrating their utility for drug discovery and development. These leverage the generally bigger datasets created from high-throughput screening data and allow prediction of bioactivities for targets and molecular properties with increased levels of accuracy. We have only just begun to exploit the potential of these techniques but they may already be fundamentally changing the research process for identifying new molecules and/or repurposing old drugs. The integrated application of such machine learning models for end-to-end (E2E) application is broadly relevant and has considerable implications for developing future therapies and their targeting.This Perspective describes the application of machine learning models in the design, synthesis and characterisation of molecules at different stages in the drug discovery and development process.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review argues that machine learning can be integrated end-to-end across drug discovery and development, leveraging large public datasets and models for bioactivity, ADME/Tox, repurposing, and nanomedicine. It highlights that deep neural networks often excel in cross-validation but do not consistently outperform other methods on external testing, while data readiness, accessibility, and interpretability remain barriers.

Key findings

  • The paper proposes an end-to-end (E2E) vision in which machine learning models span the R&D pathway to predict clinical viability, but notes that linear combinations of models may accumulate errors depending on each model’s accuracy.
  • In cited comparisons, DNNs ranked higher than all other machine learning methods across all datasets after 4-fold cross validation using FCFP6 fingerprints; for 18,886 compounds screened against *Mycobacterium tuberculosis*, DNNs and support vector machines appeared superior for training and 5-fold cross validation, but external testing of DNN models with a large test set did not perform as well as other methods. For estrogen receptor datasets, DNNs had higher accuracy within the training set in 5-fold cross validation, while external test predictions were similar between DNN and most classic machine learning models.
  • Public chemical and biological data in PubChem, ChEMBL, and other databases now include millions of molecules and bioactivities; tuberculosis and malaria have high-throughput screening datasets of >300,000 compounds, and rare diseases are defined as affecting less than 200,000 people in the United States.
  • Applications cited include repurposing topiramate for inflammatory bowel disease, imipramine, bepridil, promethazine, and cimetidine as non-small cell lung cancer inhibitors, and CDRscan identifying 14 oncology and 23 non-oncology drugs with new potential cancer indications; a random forest classifier identified category C drugs likely harmful or safe for fetal loss or congenital anomalies.

Methods

  • Design: This is a review/perspective article, not a primary experimental study; it synthesizes literature and the authors’ prior cheminformatics efforts.
  • Data or sample: It cites public databases such as PubChem and ChEMBL, high-throughput screening datasets, and prior datasets including 18,886 *M. tuberculosis* compounds, estrogen receptor datasets, and >300,000 compounds for tuberculosis and malaria.
  • Main analysis: Narrative synthesis and discussion of machine learning algorithms, molecular descriptors, validation strategies, and drug discovery applications; no systematic review or meta-analysis methodology is stated.

Limitations

  • The paper states that many databases are not “model-ready” or machine-readable and require expert curation; DNNs are not “plug and play” and take significant time to optimize; there is no agreement on the best algorithm; DNNs have rarely been used for prospective prediction; generative DNN proof-of-concept studies often have not synthesized molecules to validate predictions; nanoparticle datasets are small (10–100s of molecules), limiting deep learning; and linear model combinations may accumulate errors.
  • Evident from the text: as a review, it reports no new primary data or prospective validation of its own, and its conclusions depend on the cited studies rather than a systematic search or quantitative synthesis.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41563-019-0338-z

Cites

95 of 95 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

67 Not checked yet · 23 Own interpretation · 4 No basis given · 1 Supported · 1 Own result

Verify all 88 references — free account

Show all 40 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 33
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 36
56 of 56
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The biggest cost and most time-consuming component associated with drug development is conducting clinical trials.

    “The biggest cost and most time-consuming component associated with drug development is conducting clinical trials.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Currently available chemical and biological data relevant for rare disease drug discovery is available but diffuse, existing in an array of public or private databases.

    “Currently available chemical and biological data relevant for rare disease drug discovery is available but diffuse, existing in an array of public or private databases.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    To date there are no efforts specifically using machine learning to identify drugs for rare diseases that leverage the relevant datasets for targets that are in the public domain.

    “To date there are no efforts specifically using machine learning to identify drugs for rare diseases that leverage the relevant datasets for targets that are in the public domain.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Commercially available tools that could enable scientists to develop nanomedicines using these models have yet to be developed to date.

    “Commercially available tools that could enable scientists to develop nanomedicines using these models have yet to be developed to date.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Proteins have isoforms and redundancy, so inhibition of one protein might not be enough to elicit the desired response.

    “Proteins have isoforms and redundancy, thus, inhibition of one might not be enough to illicit the desired response.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Inhibition of one pathway might not be enough to achieve the response because cells have other pathway mechanisms that would be activated to circumvent the inhibited pathway.

    “In the same way, inhibition of one pathway might not be enough to achieve the response, since the cell has other pathway mechanisms that would be activated to circumvent the one that has been inhibited.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is currently an abundance of data, powerful and plentiful computing, public and private efforts to develop databases and models, and accessible fee-for-service ways to test compounds.

    “We now have an abundance of data, powerful and plentiful computing, public and private efforts to develop databases and models and accessible ways to test compounds on a fee-for-service basis.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A major concern about making predictions with computational models is the vastness of chemical space and the potential for selecting compounds with unfavorable properties.

    “Often a major concern about making predictions with computational models is the vastness of chemical space and the potential for selecting compounds with unfavorable properties.”
8 of 8

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1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Show all 95 references

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Korotcov, A., Tkachenko, V., Russo, D. P. & Ekins, S. Comparison of deep learning with multiple machine learning methods and metrics using diverse drug discovery data sets. Mol. Pharm. 14, 4462–4475 (2017). · DOI

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Metadata

Authors
Ekins, S., Puhl, A. C., Zorn, K. M., Lane, T. R., Russo, D. P., Klein, J. J., Hickey, A. J., & Clark, A. M.
Affiliations
  • Collaborations Pharmaceuticals (United States) (US)
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Ekins, Sean
Venue
Nature Materials
Published
2019-04-18
Volume
18
Issue
5
Pages
435-441
ISSN
  • 1476-1122 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4660
OpenAlex
W2940242941
Cited by
578
References
95
Citations by year
2026: 79 · 2025: 85 · 2024: 85 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 80 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 19
FWCI
45.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Materials (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R44TR000942, UH2TR002084)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R44GM122196)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U19AI098461)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R43NS107079)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Drug Discovery › Computational Drug Discovery Methods
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Machine Learning in Materials Science
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Degradation and Inhibitors
Keywords
machine learning, drug discovery, drug development, high-throughput screening data, bioactivity prediction, molecular property prediction, drug repurposing, deep neural network, support vector machine, naive Bayesian classifier, molecular design
MeSH terms
Machine Learning, Drug Development, Algorithms, Bayes Theorem, Computer Simulation, Humans, Technology, Pharmaceutical, Drug Design, Neural Networks, Computer, Computational Biology, Nanomedicine, Drug Discovery, Drug Repositioning, Support Vector Machine

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