resource center
  See your link here
|
IDG News Service - A research institute is harnessing the power of thousands of computers over the Internet to investigate potential drug treatments for deadly avian influenza.
The Rothberg Institute for Childhood Diseases in Guilford, Conn., said today that it had detailed the first mission for volunteers participating in the distributed computing project.
Volunteers download a screen-saver program that simulates the binding of drug molecules with proteins -- referred to as "targets" -- in avian flu, the institute said.
The screen saver, which is visible in a computer's program tray, kicks in when the computer is idle, the institute said. The institute likens the process to hunting through a batch of keys -- meaning the drugs -- to find the right one that fits a protein in the virus.
The results are sent back to the Rothberg Institute when the computer is connected to the Internet.
The institute said distributed computing allows for the deployment of new targets to tens of thousands of computers running the program, collectively called the Drug Design and Optimization Lab (D2OL), within minutes.
The institute said 80,000 volunteers in 93 countries are participating in the project so far.
The institute said the first avian flu target is the H5N1 neuraminidase, which aids in the spread of the disease. Avian Influenza A, also known as H5N1, is the most dangerous one that humans have contracted so far, the institute said.
Officials fear that H5N1 is the one most likely to mutate into a form that humans could contract more easily. So far, human-to-human infections have been rare, the institute said.
Governments have ordered widespread culls of chickens in Europe and Asia to halt the spread, but it's believed migrating birds have brought the disease to new areas.
IDG.net
Data Grids & SOA
Get this paper now!
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
Learn how to successfully deploy a WAN optimization solution that is specifically tuned for a mobile environment!
Effectively Implementing Datacenter Automation
Effectively select and deploy the best datacenter automation solution today!
Faster, Cheaper and Easier to Maintain
Can you afford not to upgrade your servers to today's advanced, energy-efficient technologies?
Aligning IT to Business: The Rising Importance of Application Delivery Networks
Application Delivery Networking (ADN) will play a vital role in helping enterprises incorporate strategic technologies to achieve business initiatives.
The State of PCI DSS Compliance at Organizations Today
Download this resource today!
IDC Research Report: The Business Value of Consolidating on Energy-Efficient Servers
Download this Resource Now!
Mitigate Risk, Lower Costs and Improve Network Efficiency
Create a stable IP network that not only meets today's challenges, but is flexible enough to also meet future demands.
Sign up to receive updates on the latest Business Intelligence resources
 |
 SAS Information Management Kit SAS is the leader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. Only SAS offers leading data integration, storage, analytics and business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. SAS gives 97 of the top 100 companies in the 2007 Fortune 500 THE POWER TO KNOW®. |  Webcast: The Information Management Roadmap Imagine high-quality data, cleansed, analyzed and delivered throughout your organization. Join Computerworld, IT visionary Thornton May and a panel of experts to learn how SAS® can help you make it happen. View this webcast  |  Research Report: Information Management Initiatives at Midsize and Large Organizations See the top-line results of this Computerworld sponsored survey to see how IT and business leaders are handling information management implementation.Download this report |  White Paper: Information Management: Better Information for Winning Decisions. This white paper explains how the SAS Information Evolution Model aids companies in assessing how they use this information to make strategic decisions and drive business. Download this white paper |
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDC
IDG
IDG Connect
IDG Knowledge Hub
IDG TechNetwork
IDG Ventures
IDG.net
InfoWorld
ITwhitepapers
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
Macworld
Network World
PC World
The Industry Standard
Copyright © 1994 - 2009 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission ofComputerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc. |
