A QSAR model of HERG binding using a large, diverse, and internally consistent training set

Chem Biol Drug Des. 2006 Apr;67(4):284-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-0285.2006.00379.x.

Abstract

Over the past decade, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to address an addition to ADME/Tox profiling--the ability of a compound to bind to and inhibit the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG)-encoded cardiac potassium channel. With the compilation of a large and diverse set of compounds measured in a single, consistent hERG channel inhibition assay, we recognized a unique opportunity to attempt to construct predictive QSAR models. Early efforts with classification models built from this training set were very encouraging. Here, we report a systematic evaluation of regression models based on neural network ensembles in conjunction with a variety of structure representations and feature selection algorithms. The combination of these modeling techniques (neural networks to capture non-linear relationships in the data, feature selection to prevent over-fitting, and aggregation to minimize model instability) was found to produce models with very good internal cross-validation statistics and good predictivity on external data.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Computer Simulation
  • ERG1 Potassium Channel
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / chemistry*
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Models, Statistical
  • Neural Networks, Computer
  • Potassium Channel Blockers / chemistry*
  • Potassium Channel Blockers / pharmacology*
  • Protein Binding
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship*

Substances

  • ERG1 Potassium Channel
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels
  • KCNH2 protein, human
  • Potassium Channel Blockers