A new method for induced fit docking (GENIUS) and its application to virtual screening of novel HCV NS3-4A protease inhibitors

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an etiologic agent of chronic liver disease, and approximately 170 million people worldwide are infected with the virus. HCV NS3-4A serine protease is essential for the replication of this virus, and thus has been investigated as an attractive target for anti-HCV drugs. In this study, we developed our new induced-fit docking program (GENIUS), and applied it to the discovery of a new class of NS3-4A protease inhibitors (IC50 = 1-10 mu M including high selectivity index). The new inhibitors thus identified were modified, based on the docking models, and revealed preliminary structure-activity relationships. Moreover, the GENIUS in silico screening performance was validated by using an enrichment factor. We believe our designed scaffold could contribute to the improvement of HCV chemotherapy. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.