A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Currently, the age structure of the world population is changing due to declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy. As a result, physicians worldwide have to treat an increasing number of age-related diseases, of which neurological disorders represent a significant part. In this context, t...

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Main Authors: Caterina Vicidomini, Francesco Fontanella, Tiziana D’Alessandro, Giovanni N. Roviello
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Biomolecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/14/10/1330
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author Caterina Vicidomini
Francesco Fontanella
Tiziana D’Alessandro
Giovanni N. Roviello
author_facet Caterina Vicidomini
Francesco Fontanella
Tiziana D’Alessandro
Giovanni N. Roviello
author_sort Caterina Vicidomini
collection DOAJ
description Currently, the age structure of the world population is changing due to declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy. As a result, physicians worldwide have to treat an increasing number of age-related diseases, of which neurological disorders represent a significant part. In this context, there is an urgent need to discover new therapeutic approaches to counteract the effects of neurodegeneration on human health, and computational science can be of pivotal importance for more effective neurodrug discovery. The knowledge of the molecular structure of the receptors and other biomolecules involved in neurological pathogenesis facilitates the design of new molecules as potential drugs to be used in the fight against diseases of high social relevance such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), to cite only a few. However, the absence of comprehensive guidelines regarding the strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches creates a fragmented and disconnected field, resulting in missed opportunities to enhance performance and achieve successful applications. This review aims to summarize some of the most innovative strategies based on computational methods used for neurodrug development. In particular, recent applications and the state-of-the-art of molecular docking and artificial intelligence for ligand- and target-based approaches in novel drug design were reviewed, highlighting the crucial role of in silico methods in the context of neurodrug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.
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spelling doaj-art-b4b17b177b3b4cfbbfa6b99ae0342d5d2025-08-20T02:11:14ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2024-10-011410133010.3390/biom14101330A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative DiseasesCaterina Vicidomini0Francesco Fontanella1Tiziana D’Alessandro2Giovanni N. Roviello3Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging-Italian National Council for Research (IBB-CNR), Via De Amicis 95, 80145 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Electrical and Information Engineering “Maurizio Scarano”, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, 03043 Cassino, ItalyDepartment of Electrical and Information Engineering “Maurizio Scarano”, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, 03043 Cassino, ItalyInstitute of Biostructures and Bioimaging-Italian National Council for Research (IBB-CNR), Via De Amicis 95, 80145 Naples, ItalyCurrently, the age structure of the world population is changing due to declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy. As a result, physicians worldwide have to treat an increasing number of age-related diseases, of which neurological disorders represent a significant part. In this context, there is an urgent need to discover new therapeutic approaches to counteract the effects of neurodegeneration on human health, and computational science can be of pivotal importance for more effective neurodrug discovery. The knowledge of the molecular structure of the receptors and other biomolecules involved in neurological pathogenesis facilitates the design of new molecules as potential drugs to be used in the fight against diseases of high social relevance such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), to cite only a few. However, the absence of comprehensive guidelines regarding the strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches creates a fragmented and disconnected field, resulting in missed opportunities to enhance performance and achieve successful applications. This review aims to summarize some of the most innovative strategies based on computational methods used for neurodrug development. In particular, recent applications and the state-of-the-art of molecular docking and artificial intelligence for ligand- and target-based approaches in novel drug design were reviewed, highlighting the crucial role of in silico methods in the context of neurodrug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/14/10/1330neurodegenerationneurodrugsmachine learningmolecular dockingartificial intelligencedrug discovery
spellingShingle Caterina Vicidomini
Francesco Fontanella
Tiziana D’Alessandro
Giovanni N. Roviello
A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Biomolecules
neurodegeneration
neurodrugs
machine learning
molecular docking
artificial intelligence
drug discovery
title A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases
title_full A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases
title_fullStr A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases
title_full_unstemmed A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases
title_short A Survey on Computational Methods in Drug Discovery for Neurodegenerative Diseases
title_sort survey on computational methods in drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases
topic neurodegeneration
neurodrugs
machine learning
molecular docking
artificial intelligence
drug discovery
url https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/14/10/1330
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