A machine learning-based high-precision density functional method for drug-like molecules

Abstract

In computer-aided drug discovery, accurately determining the structure and properties of drug-like molecules is of utmost importance. This necessitates the use of precise and efficient electronic structure methods. Here, we developed two deep learning-based density functional methods, namely DeePHF and DeePKS, specifically tailored for drug-like molecules. Notably, DeePKS incorporates self-consistency into its framework. With a limited dataset labelled at the CCSD(T)/def2-TZVP level, both models have been able to achieve chemical accuracy in calculating molecular energies and have demonstrated excellent transferability. We anticipate that further advancements in this field will lead to the development of high-quality density functional methods designed specifically for drug discovery purposes. This research showcases the capabilities of deep learning approaches in simplifying the construction complexity associated with traditional DFT methods.