With the prevalence of genomic and proteomic data, modern research in experimental biotech has become a human-guided, computer-assisted endeavor. A wide range of molecular and structural bioinformatics methods and resources is available and the number of therapeutically relevant macromolecular entities is growing rapidly. This highlights the need for using computer-aided techniques for the identification and efficient optimization of novel hit compounds. Table 1 is an attempt to catalog recent patents for in silico prediction tools, compound collections, some ligand-based prediction methods, characterization/simulation of three-dimensional targets and homology modeling tools together with all-atom molecular dynamics methodology for the analysis of macromolecular structures and interfaces. Different applications and approaches facilitating the drug discovery process are reported. This review should help readers find patented computer tools useful for facilitating rapid and cost-effective identification of new hit compounds.

Table 1 Recent patent applications in computational biotechnologies
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