Chemoinformatics is broadly a scientific discipline encompassing the design, creation, organization, management, retrieval, analysis, dissemination, visualization and use of chemical information. It is distinct from other computational molecular modeling approaches in that it uses unique representations of chemical structures in the form of multiple chemical descriptors; has its own metrics for defining similarity and diversity of chemical compound libraries; and applies a wide array of statistical, data mining and machine learning techniques to very large collections of chemical compounds in order to establish robust relationships between chemical structure and its physical or biological properties. Chemoinformatics addresses a broad range of problems in chemistry and biology; however, the most commonly known applications of chemoinformatics approaches have been arguably in the area of drug discovery where chemoinformatics tools have played a central role in the analysis and interpretation of structure-property data collected by the means of modern high throughput screening. Early stages in modern drug discovery often involved screening small molecules for their effects on a selected protein target or a model of a biological pathway. In the past fifteen years, innovative technologies that enable rapid synthesis and high throughput screening of large libraries of compounds have been adopted in almost all major pharmaceutical and biotech companies. As a result, there has been a huge increase in the number of compounds available on a routine basis to quickly screen for novel drug candidates against new targets/pathways. In contrast, such technologies have rarely become available to the academic research community, thus limiting its ability to conduct large scale chemical genetics or chemical genomics research. However, the landscape of publicly available experimental data collection methods for chemoinformatics has changed dramatically in very recent years. The term "virtual screening" is commonly associated with methodologies that rely on the explicit knowledge of three-dimensional structure of the target protein to identify potential bioactive compounds. Traditional docking protocols and scoring functions rely on explicitly defined three dimensional coordinates and standard definitions of atom types of both receptors and ligands. Albeit reasonably accurate in many cases, conventional structure based virtual screening approaches are relatively computationally inefficient, which has precluded them from screening really large compound collections. Significant progress has been achieved over many years of research in developing many structure based virtual screening approaches. This book is the first monograph that summarizes innovative applications of efficient chemoinformatics approaches towards the goal of screening large chemical libraries. The focus on virtual screening expands chemoinformatics beyond its traditional boundaries as a synthetic and data-analytical area of research towards its recognition as a predictive and decision support scientific discipline. The approaches discussed by the contributors to the monograph rely on chemoinformatics concepts such as: -representation of molecules using multiple descriptors of chemical structures -advanced chemical similarity calculations in multidimensional descriptor spaces -the use of advanced machine learning and data mining approaches for building quantitative and predictive structure activity models -the use of chemoinformatics methodologies for the analysis of drug-likeness and property prediction -the emerging trend on combining chemoinformatics and bioinformatics concepts in structure based drug discovery The chapters of the book are organized in a logical flow that a typical chemoinformatics project would follow - from structure representation and comparison to data analysis and model building to applications of structure-property relationship models for hit identification and chemical library design. It opens with the overview of modern methods of compounds library design, followed by a chapter devoted to molecular similarity analysis. Four sections describe virtual screening based on the using of molecular fragments, 2D pharmacophores and 3D pharmacophores. Application of fuzzy pharmacophores for libraries design is the subject of the next chapter followed by a chapter dealing with QSAR studies based on local molecular parameters. Probabilistic approaches based on 2D descriptors in assessment of biological activities are also described with an overview of the modern methods and software for ADME prediction. The book ends with a chapter describing the new approach of coding the receptor binding sites and their respective ligands in multidimensional chemical descriptor space that affords an interesting and efficient alternative to traditional docking and screening techniques. Ligand-based approaches, which are in the focus of this work, are more computationally efficient compared to structure-based virtual screening and there are very few books related to modern developments in this field. The focus on extending the experiences accumulated in traditional areas of chemoinformatics research such as Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR) or chemical similarity searching towards virtual screening make the theme of this monograph essential reading for researchers in the area of computer-aided drug discovery. However, due to its generic data-analytical focus there will be a growing application of chemoinformatics approaches in multiple areas of chemical and biological research such as synthesis planning, nanotechnology, proteomics, physical and analytical chemistry and chemical genomics.

Chemoinformatics and Bioinformatics in the Pharmaceutical Sciences brings together two very important fields in pharmaceutical sciences that have been mostly seen as diverging from each other: chemoinformatics and bioinformatics. As developing drugs is an expensive and lengthy process, technology can improve the cost, efficiency and speed at which new drugs can be discovered and tested. This book presents some of the growing advancements of technology in the field of drug development and how the computational approaches explained here can reduce the financial and experimental burden of the drug discovery process. This book will be useful to pharmaceutical science researchers and students who need basic knowledge of computational techniques relevant to their projects. Bioscientists, bioinformaticians, computational scientists, and other stakeholders from industry and academia will also find this book helpful. - Provides practical information on how to choose and use appropriate computational tools - Presents the wide, intersecting fields of chemo-bio-informatics in an easily-accessible format - Explores the fundamentals of the emerging field of chemoinformatics and bioinformatics

30 tutorials and more than 100 exercises in chemoinformatics, supported by online software and data sets Chemoinformatics is widely used in both academic and industrial chemical and biochemical research worldwide. Yet, until this unique guide, there were no books offering practical exercises in chemoinformatics methods. Tutorials in Chemoinformatics contains more than 100 exercises in 30 tutorials exploring key topics and methods in the field. It takes an applied approach to the subject with a strong emphasis on problem-solving and computational methodologies. Each tutorial is self-contained and contains exercises for students to work through using a variety of software packages. The majority of the tutorials are divided into three sections devoted to theoretical background, algorithm description and software applications, respectively, with the latter section providing step-by-step software instructions. Throughout, three types of software tools are used: in-house programs developed by the authors, open-source programs and commercial programs which are available for free or at a modest cost to academics. The in-house software and data sets are available on a dedicated companion website. Key topics and methods covered in Tutorials in Chemoinformatics include: Data curation and standardization Development and use of chemical databases Structure encoding by molecular descriptors, text strings and binary fingerprints The design of diverse and focused libraries Chemical data analysis and visualization Structure-property/activity modeling (QSAR/QSPR) Ensemble modeling approaches, including bagging, boosting, stacking and random subspaces 3D pharmacophores modeling and pharmacological profiling using shape analysis Protein-ligand docking Implementation of algorithms in a high-level programming language Tutorials in Chemoinformatics is an ideal supplementary text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in chemoinformatics, bioinformatics, computational chemistry, computational biology, medicinal chemistry and biochemistry. It is also a valuable working resource for medicinal chemists, academic researchers and industrial chemists looking to enhance their chemoinformatics skills.

Edited by world-famous pioneers in chemoinformatics, this is a clearly structured and applications-oriented approach to the topic, providing up-to-date and focused information on the wide range of applications in this exciting field. The authors explain methods and software tools, such that the reader will not only learn the basics but also how to use the different software packages available. Experts describe applications in such different fields as structure-spectra correlations, virtual screening, prediction of active sites, library design, the prediction of the properties of chemicals, the development of new cosmetics products, quality control in food, the design of new materials with improved properties, toxicity modeling, assessment of the risk of chemicals, and the control of chemical processes. The book is aimed at advanced students as well as lectures but also at scientists that want to learn how chemoinformatics could assist them in solving their daily scientific tasks. Together with the corresponding textbook Chemoinformatics - Basic Concepts and Methods (ISBN 9783527331093) on the fundamentals of chemoinformatics readers will have a comprehensive overview of the field.

Drug discovery is all about finding small molecules that interact in a desired way with larger molecules, namely proteins and other macromolecules in the human body. If the three-dimensional structures of both the small and large molecule are known, their interaction can be tested by computer simulation with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Alternatively, if active ligands are already available, molecular similarity searches can be used to find new molecules. This virtual screening can even be applied to compounds that have yet to be synthesized, as opposed to "real" screening that requires cost- and labor-intensive laboratory testing with previously synthesized drug compounds. Unique in its focus on the end user, this is a real "how to" book that does not presuppose prior experience in virtual screening or a background in computational chemistry. It is both a desktop reference and practical guide to virtual screening applications in drug discovery, offering a comprehensive and up-to-date overview. Clearly divided into four major sections, the first provides a detailed description of the methods required for and applied in virtual screening, while the second discusses the most important challenges in order to improve the impact and success of this technique. The third and fourth, practical parts contain practical guidelines and several case studies covering the most important scenarios for new drug discovery, accompanied by general guidelines for the entire workflow of virtual screening studies. Throughout the text, medicinal chemists from academia, as well as from large and small pharmaceutical companies report on their experience and pass on priceless practical advice on how to make best use of these powerful methods.

The modern drug developers? guide for making informed choices among the diverse target identification methods Target Discovery and Validation: Methods and Strategies for Drug Discovery offers a hands-on review of the modern technologies for drug target identification and validation. With contributions from noted industry and academic experts, the book addresses the most recent chemical, biological, and computational methods. Additionally, the book highlights techologies that are applicable to ?difficult? targets and drugs directed at multiple targets, including chemoproteomics, activity-based protein profiling, pathway mapping, genome-wide association studies, and array-based profiling. Throughout, the authors highlight a range of diverse approaches, and target validation studies reveal how these methods can support academic and drug discovery scientists in their target discovery and validation research. This resource: -Offers a guide to identifying and validating targets, a key enabling technology without which no new drug development is possible -Presents the information needed for choosing the appropriate assay method from the ever-growing range of available options -Provides practical examples from recent drug development projects, e. g. in kinase inhibitor profiling Written for medicinal chemists, pharmaceutical professionals, biochemists, biotechnology professionals, and pharmaceutical chemists, Target Discovery and Validation explores the current methods for the identification and validation of drug targets in one comrpehensive volume. It also includes numerous practical examples.

Chemoinformatics strategies to improve drug discovery results With contributions from leading researchers in academia and the pharmaceutical industry as well as experts from the software industry, this book explains how chemoinformatics enhances drug discovery and pharmaceutical research efforts, describing what works and what doesn't. Strong emphasis is put on tested and proven practical applications, with plenty of case studies detailing the development and implementation of chemoinformatics methods to support successful drug discovery efforts. Many of these case studies depict groundbreaking collaborations between academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Chemoinformatics for Drug Discovery is logically organized, offering readers a solid base in methods and models and advancing to drug discovery applications and the design of chemoinformatics infrastructures. The book features 15 chapters, including: What are our models really telling us? A practical tutorial on avoiding common mistakes when building predictive models Exploration of structure-activity relationships and transfer of key elements in lead optimization Collaborations between academia and pharma Applications of chemoinformatics in pharmaceutical research experiences at large international pharmaceutical companies Lessons learned from 30 years of developing successful integrated chemoinformatic systems Throughout the book, the authors present chemoinformatics strategies and methods that have been proven to work in pharmaceutical research, offering insights culled from their own investigations. Each chapter is extensively referenced with citations to original research reports and reviews. Integrating chemistry, computer science, and drug discovery, Chemoinformatics for Drug Discovery encapsulates the field as it stands today and opens the door to further advances.

This handbook provides the first-ever inside view of today's integrated approach to rational drug design. Chemoinformatics experts from large pharmaceutical companies, as well as from chemoinformatics service providers and from academia demonstrate what can be achieved today by harnessing the power of computational methods for the drug discovery process. With the user rather than the developer of chemoinformatics software in mind, this book describes the successful application of computational tools to real-life problems and presents solution strategies to commonly encountered problems. It shows how almost every step of the drug discovery pipeline can be optimized and accelerated by using chemoinformatics tools -- from the management of compound databases to targeted combinatorial synthesis, virtual screening and efficient hit-to-lead transition. An invaluable resource for drug developers and medicinal chemists in academia and industry.

Small Molecule Drug Discovery: Methods, Molecules and Applications presents the methods used to identify bioactive small molecules, synthetic strategies and techniques to produce novel chemical entities and small molecule libraries, chemoinformatics to characterize and enumerate chemical libraries, and screening methods, including biophysical techniques, virtual screening and phenotypic screening. The second part of the book gives an overview of privileged cyclic small molecules and major classes of natural product-derived small molecules, including carbohydrate-derived compounds, peptides and peptidomimetics, and alkaloid-inspired compounds. The last section comprises an exciting collection of selected case studies on drug discovery enabled by small molecules in the fields of cancer research, CNS diseases and infectious diseases. The discovery of novel molecular entities capable of specific interactions represents a significant challenge in early drug discovery. Small molecules are low molecular weight organic compounds that include natural products and metabolites, as well as drugs and other xenobiotics. When the biological target is well defined and understood, the rational design of small molecule ligands is possible. Alternatively, small molecule libraries are being used for unbiased assays for complex diseases where a target is unknown or multiple factors contribute to a disease pathology. - Outlines modern concepts and synthetic strategies underlying the building of small molecules and their chemical libraries useful for drug discovery - Provides modern biophysical methods to screening small molecule libraries, including high-throughput screening, small molecule microarrays, phenotypic screening and chemical genetics - Presents the most advanced chemoinformatics tools to characterize the structural features of small molecule libraries in terms of chemical diversity and complexity, also including the application of virtual screening approaches - Gives an overview of structural features and classification of natural product-derived small molecules, including carbohydrate derivatives, peptides and peptidomimetics, and alkaloid-inspired small molecules

Understanding the Basics of QSAR for Applications in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Risk Assessment describes the historical evolution of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approaches and their fundamental principles. This book includes clear, introductory coverage of the statistical methods applied in QSAR and new QSAR techniques, such as HQSAR and G-QSAR. Containing real-world examples that illustrate important methodologies, this book identifies QSAR as a valuable tool for many different applications, including drug discovery, predictive toxicology and risk assessment. Written in a straightforward and engaging manner, this is the ideal resource for all those looking for general and practical knowledge of QSAR methods. - Includes numerous practical examples related to QSAR methods and applications - Follows the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development principles for QSAR model development - Discusses related techniques such as structure-based design and the combination of structure- and ligand-based design tools