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Hauptverfasser: Chen, Tianchi, Bima, Jan, Wu, Sean L., Ritter, Otto, Yang, Bingjia, Yu, Xiang
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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Online-Zugang:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.14710
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author Chen, Tianchi
Bima, Jan
Wu, Sean L.
Ritter, Otto
Yang, Bingjia
Yu, Xiang
author_facet Chen, Tianchi
Bima, Jan
Wu, Sean L.
Ritter, Otto
Yang, Bingjia
Yu, Xiang
contents Optimally sequencing experimental assays in drug discovery is a high-stakes planning problem under severe uncertainty and resource constraints. A primary obstacle for standard reinforcement learning (RL) is the absence of an explicit environment simulator or transition data $(s, a, s')$; planning must rely solely on a static database of historical outcomes. We introduce the Implicit Bayesian Markov Decision Process (IBMDP), a model-based RL framework designed for such simulator-free settings. IBMDP constructs a case-guided implicit model of transition dynamics by forming a nonparametric belief distribution using similar historical outcomes. This mechanism enables Bayesian belief updating as evidence accumulates and employs ensemble MCTS planning to generate stable policies that balance information gain toward desired outcomes with resource efficiency. We validate IBMDP through comprehensive experiments. On a real-world central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery task, IBMDP reduced resource consumption by up to 92\% compared to established heuristics while maintaining decision confidence. To rigorously assess decision quality, we also benchmarked IBMDP in a synthetic environment with a computable optimal policy. Our framework achieves significantly higher alignment with this optimal policy than a deterministic value iteration alternative that uses the same similarity-based model, demonstrating the superiority of our ensemble planner. IBMDP offers a practical solution for sequential experimental design in data-rich but simulator-poor domains.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_14710
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Case-Guided Sequential Assay Planning in Drug Discovery
Chen, Tianchi
Bima, Jan
Wu, Sean L.
Ritter, Otto
Yang, Bingjia
Yu, Xiang
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
Optimally sequencing experimental assays in drug discovery is a high-stakes planning problem under severe uncertainty and resource constraints. A primary obstacle for standard reinforcement learning (RL) is the absence of an explicit environment simulator or transition data $(s, a, s')$; planning must rely solely on a static database of historical outcomes. We introduce the Implicit Bayesian Markov Decision Process (IBMDP), a model-based RL framework designed for such simulator-free settings. IBMDP constructs a case-guided implicit model of transition dynamics by forming a nonparametric belief distribution using similar historical outcomes. This mechanism enables Bayesian belief updating as evidence accumulates and employs ensemble MCTS planning to generate stable policies that balance information gain toward desired outcomes with resource efficiency. We validate IBMDP through comprehensive experiments. On a real-world central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery task, IBMDP reduced resource consumption by up to 92\% compared to established heuristics while maintaining decision confidence. To rigorously assess decision quality, we also benchmarked IBMDP in a synthetic environment with a computable optimal policy. Our framework achieves significantly higher alignment with this optimal policy than a deterministic value iteration alternative that uses the same similarity-based model, demonstrating the superiority of our ensemble planner. IBMDP offers a practical solution for sequential experimental design in data-rich but simulator-poor domains.
title Case-Guided Sequential Assay Planning in Drug Discovery
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.14710