Unsupervised synchronization of molecular dynamics trajectories via graph embedding and time warping.

Abstract

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide detailed atomistic insights into biomolecular processes, but comparing independent trajectories remains challenging due to stochastic divergence. Misaligned simulations can obscure shared mechanisms or exaggerate differences, limiting reproducibility and mechanistic interpretation. A generalizable, unsupervised method for synchronizing and comparing MD trajectories across systems and conditions is, therefore, needed. We introduce NetMD, a computational framework that synchronizes and analyzes MD trajectories by integrating graph-based representations with dynamic time warping. Trajectory frames are converted into residue-contact graphs, entropy-filtered to retain variable interactions, and embedded as low-dimensional vectors. NetMD aligns these vectorized trajectories through time-warping barycenter averaging, generating a consensus trajectory while pruning outlier simulations. Applied to transporters, demethylases, and large protein complexes relevant to neurological disease pathways and cancer, NetMD revealed shared multiphase dynamics and identified mutation- or ligand-specific deviations. This unsupervised, time-resolved approach enables direct comparison of MD ensembles across heterogeneous conditions. NetMD is robust and broadly applicable, providing a tool for uncovering conserved patterns and critical divergences in biomolecular dynamics. NetMD is freely available at https://github.com/mazzalab/NetMD.