Large Language Model Agent for Modular Task Execution in Drug Discovery

We present a modular framework powered by large language models (LLMs) that automates and streamlines key tasks across the early stage computational drug discovery pipeline. By combining LLM reasoning with domain-specific tools, the framework performs biomedical data retrieval, literature-grounded question answering via retrieval-augmented generation, molecular generation, multiproperty prediction, property-aware molecular refinement, and 3D protein-ligand structure generation. The agent autonomously retrieves relevant biomolecular information, including FASTA sequences, SMILES representations, and literature, and answers mechanistic questions with improved contextual accuracy compared to standard LLMs. It then generates chemically diverse seed molecules and predicted 75 properties, including ADMET-related and general physicochemical descriptors, which guids iterative molecular refinement. Across two refinement rounds, the number of molecules with QED >0.6 increased from 34 to 55. The number of molecules satisfying empirical drug-likeness filters also rose; for example, compliance with the Ghose filter increased from 32 to 55 within a pool of 100 molecules. The framework also employed Boltz-2 to generate 3D protein-ligand complexes and provide rapid binding affinity estimates for candidate compounds. These results demonstrate that the approach effectively supports molecular screening, prioritization, and structure evaluation. Its modular design enables flexible integration of evolving tools and models, providing a scalable foundation for AI-assisted therapeutic discovery.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
Published
2026-02-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jcim.5c02454
Primary Topic
Computational Drug Discovery Methods
Type
article
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article

Large Language Model Agent for Modular Task Execution in Drug Discovery

Janghoon Ock, Radheesh Sharma Meda, Achuth Chandrasekhar, Neha S. Aluru et al.
Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
Computational Drug Discovery Methods
article

Large Language Model Agent for Modular Task Execution in Drug Discovery

Janghoon Ock, Radheesh Sharma Meda, Achuth Chandrasekhar, Neha S. Aluru, Srivathsan Badrinarayanan
article en

Abstract

We present a modular framework powered by large language models (LLMs) that automates and streamlines key tasks across the early stage computational drug discovery pipeline. By combining LLM reasoning with domain-specific tools, the framework performs biomedical data retrieval, literature-grounded question answering via retrieval-augmented generation, molecular generation, multiproperty prediction, property-aware molecular refinement, and 3D protein-ligand structure generation. The agent autonomously retrieves relevant biomolecular information, including FASTA sequences, SMILES representations, and literature, and answers mechanistic questions with improved contextual accuracy compared to standard LLMs. It then generates chemically diverse seed molecules and predicted 75 properties, including ADMET-related and general physicochemical descriptors, which guids iterative molecular refinement. Across two refinement rounds, the number of molecules with QED >0.6 increased from 34 to 55. The number of molecules satisfying empirical drug-likeness filters also rose; for example, compliance with the Ghose filter increased from 32 to 55 within a pool of 100 molecules. The framework also employed Boltz-2 to generate 3D protein-ligand complexes and provide rapid binding affinity estimates for candidate compounds. These results demonstrate that the approach effectively supports molecular screening, prioritization, and structure evaluation. Its modular design enables flexible integration of evolving tools and models, providing a scalable foundation for AI-assisted therapeutic discovery.

Journal of Chemical Information and ModelingVol. 66(4)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US), Mitchell Institute (US), Carnegie Mellon University (US), Texas A&M University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 60%
Computational Drug Discovery Methods
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