Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
2-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Biochemistry
Advisor
Emilio Gallicchio
Committee Members
Richard Magliozzo
Lauren Wickstrom
Sharon Loverde
Piero Procacci
Subject Categories
Computational Chemistry
Keywords
Free Energy Perturbation, Binding Free Energy, Relative Binding Free Energy, Absolute Binding Free Energy, Alchemical Transfer Method
Abstract
Molecular recognition plays a crucial role in various biological processes, such as enzymatic reactions, signal transduction, and genetic information processing. Investigating how proteins selectively bind to their partners is an active research area, but there is a lack of experimental details on protein structures and interactions in molecular complexes. Computational techniques based on macromolecular structures offer a way to predict protein-ligand interactions and explore their recognition mechanisms. Estimating binding affinities, particularly through alchemical binding free energy calculations, has become valuable in supporting drug discovery. This work introduces new methodologies, utilizing the Alchemical Transfer Method, to address issues like poor convergence and conformational bias in binding free energy calculations. The primary undertaking in this thesis aims to enhance accuracy by assessing statistical fluctuations, calculating ligand reorganization energy, and employing enhanced sampling techniques to eliminate conformational bias and improve system variance. Together, these approaches enhance the precision of binding free energy calculations and reduce mis-predictions caused by limited conformational sampling.
Recommended Citation
Sheenam, Fnu, "Evaluating the Reliability and Accuracy of Alchemical Binding Free Energy Methods and Calculations" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5654