WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Foundation for Cancer
Research announced today that scientists at the NFCR Center for Computational
Drug Design at Oxford University have teamed with technology companies
Microsoft, Intel and United Devices in an effort to help combat the deadly
Anthrax virus. The initiative utilizes the same technology platform as the
recent "Cure Cancer with your Computer" project that turns personal computers
around the world into a virtual supercomputer and will be used in the
discovery of new drugs to combat anthrax. To date over 1.3 million computers
are participating in this research. Results of the research will be made
available by all partners to the United States government, the UK Chief
Scientist and other friendly governments for further development.
Personal computer users worldwide may join the research by downloading
software to their machines that enables researchers to utilize their unused
computer power. The download can be found at http://www.Researchforacure.com
or at http://www.Intel.com/Cure . A software program called "THINK" runs
complex Anthrax protein and molecule structures and then coordinates the
application of your computers screen saver time to run binding "tests" on an
individuals computer. The applications then send your compiled research data
to computer servers in Europe and then assign the computer another molecule to
examine. The project is expected to last three to six months.
"We continue to identify the short and long term benefits of distributed
computing in our efforts to discover more efficient and speedy ways to
identify new drug candidates," said Professor Graham Richards, director of the
NFCR Center for Computational Drug Design at Oxford University. "Particularly
with anthrax and other related bioterrorist threats, speed to discovery is of
the essence. Without this technology and support of the coalition, there
would be no other way to tackle such a tremendous task."
"Because tumour cells assemble deadly molecules the same way harmful
bacteria create toxins, cancer research can shed valuable light into other
diseases and create new medicines," said Dr. Sujuan Ba, science director for
the National Foundation for Cancer Research. "With the computational power of
over one-million computers we hope to find the "silver bullet" that will stop
Anthrax from continuing as a terrorist's weapon."
Since 1973, The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) has
provided more than $176 million to fund research focused on understanding how
and why cells become cancerous. Our worldwide "laboratory without walls"
assembles the intellectual power to achieve one of medicine's greatest
goals-the end of cancer. For more information about the National Foundation
for Cancer Research, visit http://www.nfcr.org or call (800) 321-CURE. The NFCR
Center for Computational Drug Design is a virtual arrangement including
researchers in several European countries and directed from Oxford by
Professor Graham Richards, Chairman of the University's Chemistry Department.
The Center is funded by the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
SOURCE National Foundation for Cancer Research
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Related links:
http://www.nfcr.org
http://www.Researchforacure.com http://www.Intel.com/Cure
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/155415.html
CONTACT:
Silas Deane for the National Foundation for
Cancer Research, +1-615-301-8313
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