Virtual High-Throughput Screens Identifying hPK-M2 Inhibitors: Exploration of Model Extrapolation

Abstract Glycolysis with PK-M2 occurs typically in anaerobic conditions. Atypically, glycolysis with PK-M2 in aerobic conditions, known as the Warburg effect. The Warburg effect is found in many oncogenic situations and is believed to provide energy and biomass for oncogenesis to persist. The work presented targets human PK-M2 (hPK-M2) in a virtual high-throughput screen to identify new inhibitors and leads for further study. In the initial screen, one of the 12 candidates selected for experimental validation showed biological activity (hit-rate=8.13%). In the second screen with retrained models, six of 11 candidates selected for experimental validation showed biological activity (hit-rate: 54.5%). Additionally, four different scaffolds were found for further analysis when analyzing the tested candidates and compounds in the training data. Finally, extrapolation was necessary to identify a sufficient number of candidates to test in the second screen. Examination of the results suggested stepwise extrapolation to maximize efficiency.