BuildAMol: a versatile Python toolkit for fragment-based molecular design

Abstract

In recent years computational methods for molecular modeling have become a prime focus of computational biology and cheminformatics. Many dedicated systems exist for modeling specific classes of molecules such as proteins or small drug-like ligands. These are often heavily tailored toward the automated generation of molecular structures based on some meta-input by the user and are not intended for expert-driven structure assembly. Dedicated manual or semi-automated assembly software tools exist for a variety of molecule classes but are limited in the scope of structures they can produce. In this work we present BuildAMol, a highly flexible and extendable, general-purpose fragment-based molecular assembly toolkit. Written in Python and featuring a well-documented, user-friendly API, BuildAMol empowers researchers with a framework for detailed manual or semi-automated construction of diverse molecular models. Unlike specialized software, BuildAMol caters to a broad range of applications. We demonstrate its versatility across various use cases, encompassing generating metal complexes or the modeling of dendrimers or integrated into a drug discovery pipeline. By providing a robust foundation for expert-driven model building, BuildAMol holds promise as a valuable tool for the continuous integration and advancement of powerful deep learning techniques.

Scientific contribution

BuildAMol introduces a cutting-edge framework for molecular modeling that seamlessly blends versatility with user-friendly accessibility. This innovative toolkit integrates modeling, modification, optimization, and visualization functions within a unified API, and facilitates collaboration with other cheminformatics libraries. BuildAMol, with its shallow learning curve, serves as a versatile tool for various molecular applications while also laying the groundwork for the development of specialized software tools, contributing to the progress of molecular research and innovation.