Research Article

De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment

Volume: 38 Number: 1 March 20, 2026
TR EN

De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment

Abstract

Computational screening in drug discovery typically concentrates on a single “intended” target; yet as projects approach the clinic, unexpected liabilities—off-target binding, promiscuous (multi-target) proteins, targets implicated in adverse and side effects, and those monitored in safety panels (e.g., Eurofins SafetyScreen™ tiers 1–3)—often drive failure. In order to address such a challenge, this study addresses the lack of a unified resource that enables early, collective checks against such risky targets. We surveyed the literature and public databases, compiling 49 lists organized into five groups: (1) off-target, (2) promiscuous target, (3) adverse-effect target, (4) side-effect target, and (5) safety-check target. Target identifiers were standardized to UniProtKB, and each list was internally ranked using volume and study-specific scores. Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF) has been applied to merge these heterogeneous rankings into a single, robust ordering—RRF rewards targets that rank highly across multiple sources, elevating consistently implicated proteins to the top. The resulting resource, “De-TarDis” (Decoy-Target Discovery Database), yields a consolidated “avoid-these-targets” list for computational campaigns. It can be used directly during hit-to-lead and lead-optimization to flag compounds likely to bind safety-relevant proteins, thereby reducing late-stage, ADMET-driven surprises.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Project Number

This study was not supported by any funded project; therefore, no project number is applicable.

Ethical Statement

This article does not involve any human participants, animal experiments, or clinical data. Therefore, ethical approval was not required.

Thanks

We thank the maintainers and curators of the public resources and literature that underpin this work, including UniProtKB for identifier standardization; BindingDB and PDBbind for structure-centric interaction evidence; adverse/side-effect data providers aggregated from the literature; and safety-panel references modeled on Eurofins SafetyScreen™ tiers. Their efforts made possible the systematic sourcing, harmonization, and integration that define De-TarDis. We are also grateful to colleagues and reviewers whose feedback improved the normalization rules, fusion settings, and visual analytics presented here.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Translational and Applied Bioinformatics, Molecular Docking, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Other), Protein Engineering, Bioengineering (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

March 20, 2026

Submission Date

December 3, 2025

Acceptance Date

February 11, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 38 Number: 1

APA
Uğurlu, S. Y. (2026). De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Pure Sciences, 38(1), 210-230. https://doi.org/10.7240/jeps.1834505
AMA
1.Uğurlu SY. De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment. JEPS. 2026;38(1):210-230. doi:10.7240/jeps.1834505
Chicago
Uğurlu, Sadettin Yavuz. 2026. “De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment”. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Pure Sciences 38 (1): 210-30. https://doi.org/10.7240/jeps.1834505.
EndNote
Uğurlu SY (March 1, 2026) De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Pure Sciences 38 1 210–230.
IEEE
[1]S. Y. Uğurlu, “De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment”, JEPS, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 210–230, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.7240/jeps.1834505.
ISNAD
Uğurlu, Sadettin Yavuz. “De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment”. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Pure Sciences 38/1 (March 1, 2026): 210-230. https://doi.org/10.7240/jeps.1834505.
JAMA
1.Uğurlu SY. De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment. JEPS. 2026;38:210–230.
MLA
Uğurlu, Sadettin Yavuz. “De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment”. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Pure Sciences, vol. 38, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 210-3, doi:10.7240/jeps.1834505.
Vancouver
1.Sadettin Yavuz Uğurlu. De-TarDis: Decoy-Target Discovery Database Integrating Off-Targets, Promiscuity, Adverse/Side-Effects, and Screening Panels via Reciprocal Rank Fusion for Safety Assessment. JEPS. 2026 Mar. 1;38(1):210-3. doi:10.7240/jeps.1834505