GOLD stands for “Genetic Optimisation for Ligand Docking” and it is one of the most widely used docking programs. GOLD allows full ligand and partial protein flexibility and is available as part of the CSD-Discovery and CSD-Enterprise Suites.

GOLD explores the flexibility of the ligand through the process of evolution by using a genetic algorithm and displaces loosely bound water on ligand binding. Receptor flexibility in GOLD is accounted through side-chain flexibility and ensemble docking. GOLD also enables complete user control over speed versus accuracy settings, from efficient virtual screening of large compound libraries, to highly accurate exhaustive sampling for lead optimisation.