MOAST: Mechanism of Action Similarity Tool

Determining the mechanism of action (MOA) for natural products remains a significant bottleneck in drug discovery, particularly for researchers with limited computational resources or small compound libraries. Traditional approaches require screening large numbers of annotated compounds alongside unknowns, which is cost-prohibitive, or depend on complex machine learning models that need substantial computational resources and large datasets.

Here, we present a dissertation chapter excerpt: MOAST (Mechanism of Action Similarity Tool), a BLAST-inspired computational workflow that addresses these limitations by providing rapid MOA hypotheses for newly screened compounds. This chapter investigates two complementary approaches: a kernel density estimation (KDE) method providing statistical significance measures and E-values for MOA class membership, and a CatBoost machine learning classifier for multi-class prediction with ranked outputs.

Using cytological profiling data from HeLa and A549 cell lines, MOAST achieved 22% accuracy for the top 5 predictions among ∼ 300 MOA classes, with the CatBoost classifier reaching 10% balanced accuracy—significantly better than the ∼ 3 % reported in literature. The tool suggests a 0.8 prediction probability threshold for trustworthy results and demonstrates robust performance across multiple feature reduction strategies.

MOAST provides a practical, accessible solution that bridges traditional phenotypic screening and modern computational approaches, making MOA determination feasible for researchers with limited resources while maintaining statistical rigor and interpretability.