Let your computer fight against AIDS !

Hello people !

I found today a very interesting thing on the Internet..I think it's one of the best projects I've ever seen. It's all about using your idle computer times to compute complex combinations of molecules to design new anti-HIV drugs based on molecular structure. I give you hereonder a summary of the project:


"Prof. Arthur J. Olson's laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is studying computational ways to design new anti-HIV drugs based on molecular structure. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that the function of a molecule — a substance made up of many atoms — is related to its three-dimensional shape. Olson's target is HIV protease, a key [protein] of the virus that, when blocked, stops the virus from maturing. These blockers, known as 'protease inhibitors', are thus a way of avoiding the onset of AIDS and prolonging life. The Olson Laboratory is using computational methods to identify new candidate drugs that have the right shape and chemical characteristics to block HIV protease. [...]
Scientists are able to determine by experiment the shapes of a protein and of a drug separately, but not always for the two together. If scientists knew how a drug molecule fit inside the active site of its target protein, chemists could see how they could design even better drugs that would be more potent than existing drugs.

To address these challenges, World Community Grid's FightAIDS@Home project runs a software program called AutoDock developed in Prof. Olson's laboratory. AutoDock is a suite of tools that predicts how small molecules, such as drug candidates, might bind or 'dock' to a receptor of known 3D structure. [...] AutoDock is used on the World Community Grid to dock large numbers of different small molecules to HIV protease, so the best molecules can be found computationally, selected and tested in the laboratory for efficacy against the virus, HIV."

So in this project, your computer could simulate what happens when a yet un-synthesized drug interacts with the HIV virus, and if the result of the simulation is promising scientists will then actually synthesize the drug and test its efficiency. This way a much larger number of potential drugs can be analyzed.

The World Community Grid also has other similar projects: "[Our] mission is to create the largest public computing grid benefiting humanity. Our work is built on the belief that technological innovation combined with visionary scientific research and large-scale volunteerism can change our world for the better. Our success depends on individuals - like you - collectively contributing their unused computer time to this not-for-profit endeavor."

So, all you have to do is to go to http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/index.jsp and clicking "How you can help". There you will find further instructions about downloading the program (depeloved by some guys from IBM) that does those calculations on your computer.

Given the way that most people don't use their cpu at full speed and some of them even let the computer many nights just for downloading, I think that would be very nice to help in finding anti-HIV medicines in this way.

(I hope it didn't sound like an advertisement, I just tried to spread the word about this thing and maybe, on one God blessed day, we'll find the "antidote" which will beat the evil HIV.

Thanks for listening

Why would I want to fight for AIDs? If it fought against AIDs...

Also DIE NEWBIE DIE!!!!!!!!

Slow day, huh?

AIDS is good for you. Dumbass.

Yellow card for disrespecting a lame joke ... :?

As if that was disrespect.

Yellow card - TMI

Hey I wasn't say you were a fatass. You linked to Ayds which is according to wikipedia:

Ayds was an appetite-suppressant candy. So its only useful for fatasses and models starving themselves.

I'll have to try shaving my nuts too.

That title alone looks like a 50's scifi flicks description for "The Scientists" who were responsible for everything...

Ok so I'm drunk & I just stopped in for a green vegitable substance believed to be... Never mind...

*points and laughs*

A full course of AIDS therapy costs thousands of dollars, and you have to pay if you want to live.

I'm sure that the Pharmcos did a cost analysis and found that a vaccine is not, as of today, the most profitable solution.

Once the number of AIDS infected rich people falls enough for a vaccine to become profitable (to develop and implement), we'll have one soon enough.

What is it about bold ,enlarged fonts that makes people think they'll better make their point to someone who truly dosen't want their opinion?

The only problem is charities usually don't pay that much. Cash is king...


...and we're just pawns. :!:

Welcome to the Other.
You may stay and have fun with computer literate perverts.