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Hit identification and binding mode predictions by rigorous free energy simulations.

The identification of lead molecules using computational modeling often relies on approximate, high-throughput approaches, of limited accuracy. We show here that, with a methodology we recently developed, it is possible to predict the relative binding free energies of structurally diverse ligands of the estrogen receptor-alpha using a rigorous statistical thermodynamics approach. Predictions obtained from the simulations with an explicit solvation model are in good qualitative agreement with experimental data, while simulations with implicit solvent models or rank ordering by empirical scoring functions yield predictions of lower quality. In addition, it is shown that free energy techniques can be used to select the most likely binding mode from a set of possible orientations generated by a docking program. It is suggested that the free energy techniques outlined in this study can be used to rank-order, by potency, structurally diverse compounds identified by virtual screening, de novo design or scaffold hopping programs.