Free energy calculations. The long and winding gilded road

The fourth workshop on free energy calculations held at the Centre Europeen de Calcul Atomique et Moleculaire (CECAM) in Lyon, last June 19-21, 2000, presented an opportunity for a critical look at the past successes and failures of simulations targeted at the estimation of free energies, and for a glimpse into their promising future. In an abridged historical background, the methodological milestones paving the road for today's free energy simulations are summarized. The continuing difficulties encountered when attempting to obtain accurate free energy estimates are then discussed, with an emphasis on the potential usefulness of such large-scale calculations in non-academic environments. Finally, current strategies for improving the reliability of free energy calculations, while at the same time making them more affordable (and thus more compatible with the constraints of the industrial environment) are discussed.