Evolutionary Optimization for the Classification of Small Molecules Regulating the Circadian Rhythm Period: A Reliable Assessment

Abstract

The circadian rhythm plays a crucial role in regulating biological processes, and its disruption is linked to various health issues. Identifying small molecules that influence the circadian period is essential for developing targeted therapies. This study explores the use of evolutionary optimization techniques to enhance the classification of these molecules. We applied an evolutionary algorithm to optimize feature selection and classification performance. Several machine learning classifiers were employed, and performance was evaluated using accuracy and generalization ability. The findings demonstrate that the proposed evolutionary optimization method improves classification accuracy and reduces overfitting compared to baseline models. Additionally, the use of variance in accuracy as a penalty factor may enhance the model's reliability for real-world applications. Our study confirms that evolutionary optimization is an effective strategy for classifying small molecules regulating the circadian rhythm. The proposed approach not only improves predictive performance but also ensures a more robust model.